The New Archer In Town
by LiaTheLaxChick
Summary: Oliver Queen travels to Gotham to track down one of the names in his book, what he didn't suspect to find was a young archer. Follow Artemis and Oliver as they form an unbreakable bond. The Arrow Team is getting a new member. AU, father/daughter Oliver and Artemis. Eventual team and Spitfire.
1. Prologue Part 1

**A/N: Hello Everyone! What's up?**

**So the other day when I was watching Arrow, I got this idea. What would happen if Artemis showed up? Would he recruit her to the Arrow team? Would the two of them develop a father/daughter like relationship like in Young Justice? So that got me thinking, and this story is the result of my thinking.**

**So this is going to be pretty AU. I'm also going to try to find a way to work in the rest of Young Justice and the Justice League. We don't know yet in Arrow whether the rest of the heroes will show up, but I hope they will. Also, Roy Harper has become part of the Arrow team in my version. Again, we don't know if he becomes part of the team in the show yet or not, but I hope he does. **

***Spoiler for Home Invasion* And Diggle is apart of the team again because we all know he will be rejoining the team. *End Spoiler***

**Artemis is also only twelve in the start of this story; versus she is fifteen in the start of Young Justice. The first three chapters will be a prologue and then it will go from there. **

**I hope you guys like this! Read and Review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own either Arrow or Young Justice. **

**The New Archer in Town**

"Are you ever done training?" Felicity asks Oliver Queen as he slams Diggle onto the mat.

"Nope." Oliver replies, standing up and extending a hand to Diggle, who takes it. Oliver hoists Diggle back up onto his feet and pats him on the back.

"I was actually beginning to work up a sweat that time." Oliver says smiling at the glare Diggle gives him as he chugs down the water bottle Felicity tossed him. She tossed one to Oliver, who caught it one handed.

"So who's next?" Oliver asks, looking at his comrades. They both shy away. "Felicity?"

"Nope. I have that thing to do." Felicity tells him, moving towards the safety of her computer.

"That thing, sure." Oliver replies.

"It's a tech thing." She replies, curtly. She takes a seat at the computer and begins typing away. Oliver sighs and turns to Diggle.

"Don't look at me Oliver, I'm wiped after our last three sparring matches. Why don't you call Harper over here?" Diggle suggest.

"On a date with my sister." Oliver sighs and takes a seat on the mat. He thought about Slade, remembering all the time his friend had spent training and how he had always been trying to get Oliver to do more. Oliver smiles a sad smile, staring absentmindedly at the wall. If only the man could see him now.

"So who is on the receiving end of the Hood's wrath tonight?" Felicity asks, spinning around in her chair to face Oliver.

"William Oscar." Oliver states. Felicity spins back around and plugs his name into the computer. Oliver stands up to take a look at the computer screen.

"Looks like you're out of luck Oliver, William recently relocated to Gotham City." Felicity states.

"Maybe you could contact their own hero. I've heard reports about a masked man and boy running around solving problems in that city." Diggle says, getting up to look at the computer screen.

"No, this is my mission and my mission alone." Oliver states. "Felicity, where is the Queen private jet at the moment?"

"Oliver, Gotham City is across the country. You've also already been accused of being the vigilante, wouldn't it look suspicious if you go to Gotham on a vacation and the vigilante shows up there?" Diggle asks, being the voice of reason as usual.

"I'm thinking Diggle. Felicity, look up events going on in Gotham City in the next two days." Oliver demands.

"You could say please, even vigilantes should have manners." Felicity replies, but does as she was told. She stares at the computer screen for a few moments. "Let's see, there is a gala at Wayne Enterprises, a club opening, and a conference."

"What type of conference?" Oliver asks. Felicity types things out on her keyboard again.

"Bruce Wayne, surprise surprise, is holding a conference in Gotham to discuss technological stuff and philanthropy things for the future of the country. Sounds pretty boring, but..." Felicity scrolls over the guest list. "Your step father was invited to represent Queen Consolidated."

"I could go in his place, since he is missing and all." Oliver suggests.

"Shouldn't your mom go then?" Diggle asks.

"I'll tell her to stay here to continue to oversee the company. It's brilliant." Oliver declared.

"Um...Oliver, remember when you announced that you would have nothing to do with your family's company?" Diggle says.

"I'll just tell my mom that I want to check out the club opening to get some ideas and that while I'm there I figured I might as well go to the conference for her. I'll even take good notes at the conference." Oliver tells them. Diggle looks at Felicity, who holds up her hands.

"It's a pretty good plan." Felicity admits.

"Wouldn't it just be easier to get him when he comes back to Starling City?" Diggle asks.

"Too unpredictable. We don't know if he will ever come back. He's probably running because he knows he failed this city and I am coming for him." Oliver says, grabbing his coat from the rack.

"Where are you going?" Diggle asks.

"To pack. You two should too, since you will accompany me as my bodyguard and tech girl to be my assistant. I'm going to go make arrangements with my mom and tell Roy to hold down the city until we get back. Felicity, you're the tech girl, make sure the jet is prepped and ready to leave tonight." Oliver says and walks out of their base.

"This is going to be interesting." Felicity says, shaking her head. "And it's IT specialist, not tech girl." She turns back to her computer and Diggle chuckles as he leaves to go collect some of his things to bring.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^

Artemis punched the bag again and again. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see her father, circling around her like a vulture.

"Faster!" He demanded. She picked it up a notch, punching the bag faster.

"Hit the bag harder! Jade could do it ten times better." He taunts her as she throws everything she has into the punches. She punched the bag so hard that it swung back and then right into her, sending her sprawling onto the floor. She looks up to see her dad shaking his head.

"Your pathetic, not even worth my time." Her father walks away, leaving Artemis alone in the gym her father owned. Artemis could feel her eyes begin to water. She stuffed her palms up against her eyes to keep the tears from coming. He would only call her weak if he saw her like this. She could not be weak.

Artemis gingerly sat up, feeling her ribs to make sure none of them were broken. Everything was in place, which was good. She got up and walked over to her bow. She much preferred shooting to hand to hand combat, not that it really mattered in her father's eyes. She quickly notched an arrow, aiming at the target in the back of the room. She released, bulls' eye. She put back down the arrow, unwrapped her knuckles, grabbed her bag, and walked out of the gym, locking it behind her.

Life used to be bearable, until Jade left and her mom was sent to prison. Her father blames her for what happened and has been taking it out on her by making the past three years of her life miserable. She has zero friends and her life is consumed by training and her father's insults. She sighed. She could do things that most thirteen year olds wouldn't dream of being able to do and her father expects her to someday be an assassin and have to actually...kill people, living breathing people. With families. And Friends.

Artemis hadn't realized it, but she had unconsciously walked in the opposite direction of her home, which wasn't really a bad thing. Her dad was probably still pissed at her. Better to leave him alone for a while. Artemis walked past the fancy restaurants and the suit wearing men. Everyone walked briskly, compared to Artemis' leisurely stroll. They all had a place to be, whilst she did not. It was a weekend and she didn't have school or anymore training for the rest of the day.

Up the street, she spotted a small swarm of reporters outside the Wayne Tower. Curious, Artemis wormed her way through the crowd of reporters and photographers. She recognized the target of the crowd immediately; his face had only been splashed across the news for the past few months. Oliver Queen, the man who returned from the dead.

He was even taller in person and had a nice smile. He posed besides Bruce Wayne in front of the building. A banner hung over the door, welcoming people to the New Age Conference. Oliver said something to Bruce, causing both of the men to laugh. She suddenly felt like an intruder in a place where she did not belong. Artemis wormed her way back out through the reporters, getting shoved one way and another until she walked right into somebody, knocking them to the ground.

Artemis quickly spun around, realizing that she had knocked a blonde woman to the ground, sending her glasses across the sidewalk. Another man who had been standing besides her helped her up.

"I'm really sorry." Artemis said, retrieving the girls' glasses and handing them over to her. "Really, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean too."

"It's no big deal." The woman said. "I'm sure you didn't do it on purpose."

Artemis quickly shook her head. "I tripped over somebody's feet in there." She said pointing to the crowd of reporters that had diminished, following Bruce Wayne into the building.

"Felicity, Diggle, what's the hold up?" Artemis spun around and Oliver Queen was suddenly standing behind her. "Who's this?"

"This is...I actually don't know. What's your name kid?" The man, Diggle, asked.

"Artemis." She managed to stutter out. Great, just like her to run into the friends of the son of the owner of one of the most powerful companies in America. This day had gone to complete shit.

"She ran into me by accident." Felicity explained.

"I should probably go. Sorry again." Artemis said nervously, running back towards home without a second glance.

^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^

"What a weird kid." Oliver said as he watched the young girl with long blonde hair run down the street.

"She seemed nervous, almost scared. I wonder if something is wrong?" Felicity said.

"We'll never know Felicity. Can't help everyone. Come on, let's go inside." Oliver says as the arrow gang headed into the Wayne Tower.

**A/N: Review! Tell me your thoughts. Should I continue? **


	2. Prologue Part 2

**A/N: Part three will probably be up next week; I'm going to New York City for a school trip this weekend and will not have a chance to write. And then after that, I'll probably do the first actual chapter after May 15. To clear up Artemis' age in this fic, it is twelve. I originally had it be a different age and then when I was reading it over I must have missed the fact that I had the original age mentioned. Thank you to Kamil for pointing it out to me. And to answer Punisher164's question, this story is taking place about six months after the events of Home Invasion.**

**So here is part two. After the next chapter, we will move on to the actual story. **

**Disclaimer: Neither show belongs to me. I did make up William Oscar though.**

**The New Archer In Town**

_Prologue, Part 2_

Oliver hopped from one rooftop to the next, surveying the scene below him. This area of Gotham was the exact opposite of the area of his hotel. It was dirty, rundown, and everything the Glades were back home in Starling City. He could hear the sound of feet pounding on the pavement and police sirens in the distance.

"Felicity, how close am I?" Oliver asks over his Comms unit.

"Just a few more blocks south and then you have reached your destination." Felicity replies sarcastically.

"I could deal with it without the snide remarks." Oliver tells her, leaping onto the next building.

"Sorry, I just didn't realize that I had become a GPS. By the way, those things are really inefficient. Have you ever tried using them? Plus the voice is really annoying." Felicity says. In the background, he could hear Diggle chuckling. Oliver sighs.

"I'm going dark for a few moments." Oliver says. "I'll tell you when I reach the Sassy Fox." Just the name of the strip club made Oliver feel disgusted. Of course a sleazy criminal like William Oscar would frequent a strip club. It was so...unsavory.

He leapt onto another rooftop, his quiver bouncing against his back. He walked across the roof, listening to the sounds of the alarms and sirens. It was while he was getting ready to make the leap onto the next roof that he heard a rustling behind him. He spun around, arrow notched and ready, to find an almost mirror image of himself as a small girl with blonde hair. The girl also had her bow drawn and ready to shoot. She wore an orange and black costume with a mask of the same color scheme.

"The Hood of Starling City, what brings you here to Gotham?" The girl asks in playful voice, a smirk on her lips.

"None of your business." Oliver responds, turning around to make the leap. He didn't know what to think of the girl and was choosing to just ignore her and hope she left. That was a mistake. An arrow suddenly flew past him, catching the side of his green hood, creating a small rip in it, but not hurting him.

"Not so fast. You're in my city, your business, is my business." The girl tells him, her voice no longer playful.

"I thought this was Batman's city?" Oliver asks, spinning around to face her.

"Batman is busy dealing with the likes of Bane, the Joker, and Poison Ivy. I take care of the slums of Gotham." The girl informs him.

"Oh really? Then how come I've never heard of you?" Oliver asks, baiting the young girl. Already, he could see her faltering beneath her mask, a rookie move.

"The name's Tigress and I'm new out here. But don't mistake me for a rookie; I've been training my whole life. Don't underestimate me. It'll be the last thing you'll do." Tigress threatens, her voice harshening.

"Making threats now? Not very hero like. You're going for the whole hero appearance aren't you?"

"I'm a hero." She simply responds, keeping an arrow trained on Oliver.

"Look kid..."

"I'm not a kid."

"Yes you are. How old are you? Five?" Oliver asks. The girl shoots another arrow at him, catching his sleeve this time as well as leaving a small cut on his arm. Oliver barely noticed though.

"I'm not a kid. I haven't been one in a long time." The girl responds harshly, a new arrow already notched and aimed at Oliver. "Time to leave Hood."

"Sorry kid, I have a mission to accomplish." With that, Oliver turns and jumps onto the next roof, presuming that the kid couldn't follow, his second mistake of the night. A few seconds later he heard another person land besides him on the roof with a small thump. He turned around to see the kid again. "How did you do that?"

"I'm trained, just like you are. I've told you already. Now leave, before I make you. You're not wanted here." Tigress threatens. Oliver was starting to get annoyed with this kid. He had a criminal to take down, not some kid to babysit.

"Listen kid, I have a job to carry out. Run along and I'll be gone tomorrow." Oliver says, spinning around. He began to walk away, before he knew it, his face was on a crash course with the concrete of the rooftop. He was up quickly, turning to face the girl in orange and black.

"I told you not to call me a kid!" Tigress yells, going to kick Oliver again. He catches her foot in midair.

"You're well trained, but I am too." He says, pushing her to the ground. He turns around and climbs down the fire escape, the girl not far behind. He inwardly groaned, not wanting to fight her. She was just a kid; probably no older than the age Thea was when he got stuck on the island.

"Oliver, everything alright?" Diggle asks him suddenly. He jumps over a trashcan.

"Not a good time Dig." Oliver says.

"What's going on?" Felicity asks, concerned.

"I'm being chased by a kid."

"A kid?" Diggle asks.

"She is not to happy about having a vigilante on her side of Gotham. She wants me out and is pretty well trained, probably about as good as Harper."

"God damn it Oliver, you can't fight a kid."

"I know that Dig, hence the running." Oliver says sarcastically as he darts across a deserted street into another alley. An arrow flies right close to him, a mere inches from his face. Despite the situation, he couldn't help but muse on the fact that with some more training, the girl could be quite good. Suddenly, he was met face to face with his greatest enemy, a brick wall.

"Freeze!" The girl shouts. He quickly spins around, notching an arrow in the process. It was one of his few trick arrows, not wanting to have the death of a child on his hands. A scumbag criminal was one thing, a simple child playing hero is another.

"I'm sorry I wasn't taking you seriously before, but can you please just let me go and complete my mission."

"Your mission? I thought you just killed whatever rich person looked at you funny and then gave that money to the poor, kind of like Robin Hood." Tigress responds, keeping her guard up.

"No. I take down the corrupt of Starling City who have made gains at the expense of others. One man, William Oscar, he ran. His schemes resulted in a thousand people loosing their life savings. Many had to resort to other things to make ends meet. Several got involved with gangs and ended up dead. He came here and I followed him. He must be taken down for what he did. He must face justice." Oliver says, knowing that the girl was beginning to waiver.

"You kill, how is that justice?" She states.

"I kill when it is needed. He is responsible for many deaths as well. Is his death not justice for those lost?"

"I hate killers, any type." She replies, her eyes going steely.

"I only kill the bad guys, the ones who need to be brought to justice for their crimes."

"They're still people. Even...the bad guys, they are people." She says, lowering her bow. For the first time, Oliver saw fear in her eyes. He could just make it out in the dim light and the mask, but he could see the fear. Something was definitely up with this girl and it wasn't just the fact that she was out here on her own trying to be a hero. She stares at the ground, her defenses down for the first time of their encounter.

"Are, are you okay kid?" Oliver asks her sincerely. She looks up.

"I'll be fine. I don't need the likes of you to be worry about me. You're a killer." She states, her body on alert once again, arrow trained at Oliver. A rustling comes from the other end of the alley, and they both spin around towards the sound, notching arrows in the process. Laughing echoes throughout the alley.

"Oliver, what's going on?" Diggle asks.

"Again Dig, kind of busy here." Oliver tells him as a man steps out wearing a gray mask that covered everything but his eyes.

"Well, well, well, what have we here? The allusive Hood Guy of Starling City and Gotham's own, Tigress." His voice drops as he glares at the girl besides Oliver. Oliver gives her a quick look and sees the girl go rigid. "Good job finding him baby girl, now take him out. I'm sure plenty of people would pay big money to find out just who the Hood Guy is."

Oliver spins and trains his arrow on the girl, but then he quickly alternates to training it on the guy. Tigress stood in place, not moving, staring at the bow in her hand.

"I don't kill." She states, looking up to glare at the man. "I'm not like either of you."

"You're not a hero either though baby girl." The man taunts. Taking action, Oliver fires an arrow at the mysterious man, who ducks out of the way easily.

"You'll have to be better than that Hood!" The man taunts Oliver, pulling out a long chain with a spiked ball on the end. He swings it at Oliver who ducks and jumps out of the way, firing another arrow at the man.

Oliver rushes the man, taking him head on. The two continue to fight, throwing punch after punch.

"Stop!" Both men turn to the girl, an arrow notched and aimed at the two of them.

"Yes, Tigress put it right." A man in a black cape and cowl emerged from the darkness. Besides him was a young boy dressed in red and black. "Stop."

"Well this is just great." Oliver thinks. The mission had gone so far south it was practically in Antarctica.

"Sorry to disturb your party, I'm sure you would much rather have it be turbed." The young boy says cackling. Oliver and Tigress give him nearly an identical mixed look of confusion and annoyance.

"What is the meaning of this?" The Caped Crusader asks. The villain chuckles moving away from Oliver.

"Nice to see to you too Bats, but I really must leave." With that, he throws a javelin into the ground, releasing a cloud of smoke. When the smoke clears, the man is gone.

"Robin, see if you can find Sportsmaster. Do not engage, follow. I will meet up with you when I am done with these two." Batman tells his sidekick. Robin nods, pulling out a grappling gun of sorts and disappears onto the roof of the building above. "Drop your arrow Hood." Batman spins around, glaring at Oliver and his notched arrow.

"Not yet." Oliver says. Batman turns to the young girl.

"Tigress, I believed I've already spoken to you about your extracurricular activities." Batman tells her sternly.

"Sorry Bats, Gotham is my home too." Tigress tells him. Batman glares at her before he turns back to face Oliver.

"What brings you to Gotham?" He asks the Starling City vigilante.

"William Oscar, corrupt business man. He stole millions. As I was explaining to kiddo over here, let me deal with my guy and I'll be out of your city." Oliver explains annoyed with how protective these guys were of their city. Then again, he wouldn't exactly be keen on the idea of another vigilante running around Starling City either.

"I'm not a kid." Tigress mutters, crossing her arms across her chest, her bow no longer notched, hanging limply at her side.

"I don't approve of your methods." Batman states to Oliver plain and simply, ignoring Tigress' indignant grumbles.

"Nobody asked you." Oliver fires back. With the two of them preoccupied with each other, Tigress began to try to slink into the darkness and make an escape, just like Jade would have done. Unfortunately, Batman saw everything.

"Not so fast Tigress, I'm not done with you yet." Batman tells her.

"While I would love to stay and chat, I really should be going." Artemis says, banking on the fact that she hoped that Batman stayed to confront the Hood more. "See you later Hood."

With that, Artemis jumped up onto the nearest fire escape and climbed up on to the roof. Her gamble paid off and she disappeared into the night, knowing that she was in for a large punishment at home, but she had nowhere else to go.

^^^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^

"Are you really just going to let her go?" Oliver asks, incredulous. This whole thing was the kid's fault. The imposing man stood in front of Oliver still, making no move to follow the girl. Oliver had heard of the great and mighty Batman and he knew that he could not simply run away and escape from the man standing before him.

"She's just a kid, probably barely any older than my own sidekick." Batman replies in a monotone voice. "I'll figure out what to do about her at another time. I'm more concerned with you at the moment Starling City Vigilante."

"Just let me deal with my business and I'll leave." Oliver tells him. Batman thinks for a few moments.

"Fine, two conditions though."

"What are they?" Oliver asks, happy to finally be taking a step forward instead of backward in his mission.

"One, no killing. Two, I send somebody with you to make sure that you do not break the first condition." Batman informs him.

"I already have a team behind me."

"But they are your team, I'm sending somebody from mine."

"Who?"

"You'll see. Meet here tomorrow night at eleven." With that, the dark knight disappeared into the darkness. Oliver sighed and made his way back to his hotel.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^

"Felicity, pull up anything and everything you can find on a vigilante, Tigress." Oliver says as he walks in from the balcony without even a hello to his two friends. Felicity looks up from the computer that she and Diggle had been staring at. The two of them stare at the agitated Oliver Queen with confusion. "What? Are you waiting for a formal invitation? Am I speaking in Chinese?"

Felicity looks like she is about to say something, but quickly turns back to her computer and begins to type away.

"What happened out there?" Diggle asks.

"I don't want to talk about it." Oliver mumbles, lowering his hood. He walks over to the safe in the wall and stashes his bow, quiver, and hood in it.

"Oliv-"

"I don't want to talk about it Dig." Oliver interrupts. He walks through the connecting door into his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"I'm taking it he didn't catch Oscar? He always gets moodier then usual when he "fails" a mission." Felicity states, looking for any sort of report on somebody named Tigress. "I can't find anything on this Tigress person."

"I'm guessing she's probably the kid he ran into." Diggle says, pulling his eyes away from the door to look at the computer screen.

"Whoever she is, she flies way under the radar. Like way, way, way, under the radar. I can't find her anywhere. It's like this vigilante doesn't exist. It's so weird." Felicity notes.

"Oliver isn't going to be happy." Diggle states, sighing.

**A/ N: The third and final part of the prologue will be up soon. What did you guys think? This chapter was mostly from Oliver's view, so the next one will feature a lot of Artemis. If Artemis was to appear on Arrow, who do you guys think would play her? I've been trying to think of somebody, but I have no clue. She would be awesome on the show though. Maybe they'll put her in it. That would be awesome! Until next time!:)**


	3. Prologue Part 3

**A/N: Thanks for the awesome reviews guys. I know somebody asked if Laurel will appear as Black Canary in this, and honestly, I don't really know yet. What do you guys want? I mean in Arrow we don't know if she will. I don't know yet what I'll do. And to answer Punisher164's question, I think Robin would probably be about ten in this since the two of them are like two years apart in the show. I'm really sorry that my updating is very sporadic at the moment. I promise that in a week or two my updating will happen a lot more. I usually like to update on Fridays and Sundays, but on occasion I update on Thursday and some other days too. So start looking for new chapters on those days in upcoming weeks. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. **

**The New Archer in Town**

_The Prologue, Part 3_

"We going to talk about last night?" Diggle asks, handing the tired and cranky looking Oliver a coffee as he enters Felicity's room where Diggle and Felicity already were.

"Don't even start Dig." Oliver says, sipping the coffee and going over to look over Felicity's shoulder at the computer screen.

"So what was the mysterious Batman like?" Felicity asks, looking up from her computer with a smirk. Oliver debated throwing his coffee at her.

"Can we please focus on the task at hand?" Oliver asks. His two comrades exchange smirks. "Please? Can you tell me anything about Tigress?"

"When do you have to show up at Wayne Enterprises today?" Diggle asks, avoiding the answer.

"Not until noon." Oliver tells him. "Tell..."

"How do you think tonight will go?" Diggle asks, interrupting him.

"I don't know. Now, what did you find out about Tigress last night?" Oliver asks, looking between his two friends.

"Well...about that..." Felicity trails off. "You see...um...there is a bit of a problem. Tigress, whoever she is, doesn't...um...seem to exist." She finally manages to get out.  
"What? Batman knew her. The villain that showed up knew her. How could you say she doesn't exist?" Oliver asks.

"I mean there are no records of her. No articles about criminals she took down, no sightings, no nothing. Whoever she is, she is very good at staying out of the spotlight. She's not even backstage, she is completely out of the theater." Felicity says, very shocked as well.

"Damn it." Oliver says, slamming his cup of coffee on the table next to the desk where all of Felicity's tech things were set up. Coffee sprayed across the table.

"Calm down Oliver. This girl is not important. Let's just focus on catching Oscar so we can leave this god forsaken city." Diggle suggests.

"Sure...just...I don't know." Oliver rubs his neck. "Something seemed off about her." Diggle sighs.

"Remember what you said yesterday? We can't save everyone. Why don't you go get ready for the meeting today?" Diggle suggests. Oliver shrugs, getting up to go into his room.

"Sure, I'll see you two later."

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^

Artemis jumped from the rooftop onto the next one, landing a little less gracefully then usual. She grimaced as her left foot made impact with the hard concrete, sending a shooting pain up into her already hurt knee. Her father had been quite harsher then usual to her during practices earlier that day after the "stunt" she pulled the night before. Luckily, he had yet to put together the pieces that she was secretly going out as a hero at night.

_Worthless. Stupid. Weak._ The words her father called her continues to echo in her head as she paused to check on the bandage around her bruised knee. _Waste of space. Useless. Unlovable. _

"That looks painful." Artemis spun around, notching an arrow, ready to shoot. She lowers her weapon when she sees that it is only Batman standing behind her. She remains on alert though even though she knew that he wasn't here to hurt her.

"What do you want?" Artemis asks suspiciously.

"I told you we would talk later. It's later." Batman states.

"What do you want from me?" Artemis questions, angrily.

"Artemis..." He begins.

"How do you know my name?" She asks accusingly, outraged. Batman gives her this look that immediately causes her to shut up.

"If known for a month or two now, ever since you started coming out. I know everything that goes on in my city. That is besides the point, I have a job for you."

"Sorry Batsy, but I don't work for you. Where is the boy wonder anyway?" Artemis asks, crossing her arms across her chest like the defiant twelve year old she is.

"Robin is at home, I gave him the night off. I think that you would like this job though." Batman says.

"Do I have a choice?" Artemis asks.

"Not really." Batman responds. Artemis sighs.

"What do you want me to do?"

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^

Oliver arrived at the meeting spot a few minutes late. He walked into the alley, arrow notched, on high alert.

"You can lower your weapon archer." Batman says coming out of the shadows.

"Sorry Bats, not happening. Who's my partner for this mission? I would like to get this over with and get back to my own city." Oliver responds. A small figure appears next to Batman. Tigress. "You."

"Me. You. Good, we know pronouns." Tigress replies sarcastically. Oliver loosens up his grip on the bow as he turns to the Caped Crusader.

"You're not serious are you? You have got to be joking." He asks Batman, exasperated.

"I don't joke." Batman simply responds.

"She's a child."

"Hey! I don't like this either. And don't call me a child!" Artemis mutters in protest.

"If it looks like a child, and talks like a child, chances are..." Oliver is cut off by a menacing Bat glare.

"Both of you will be working together. Tigress is here to keep you in line Hood. If you try to shake her, I gave her a communicator and you will have to deal with me and be forced to leave this city without taking down your villain. Do I make myself clear?" They both nod. "Good. Bring him to the Gotham City Police department after you catch him and then Hood, I expect you to be gone after that."

Done, Batman gave them one last stern look before disappearing into the night to do whatever it is that Batman does. Oliver turns to look at the young girl, sighing.

"Let's just get this over with." Oliver states.

"I like that idea." Tigress replies, following Oliver as he begins to climb up a fire escape to the roof.

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^

Artemis would never admit it, but she was a bit nervous. She had never gone on a "mission" with someone before. It was always just her relying on herself. Her standing besides the Hood on a roof overlooking the strip club was an entirely foreign feeling for her. Bored, she held a pair of binoculars up to her eyes.

"How long is this going to take?" Artemis asks him, bored. He sighs in an annoyed tone.

"I told you, he usually leaves around one in the morning. By then he is drunk, we pull him into an alley, I do my usual spiel and then we take him to the police. It's very simple, unless you don't think you can handle it."

Artemis rolls her eyes and shoves the older man. "I can handle anything."

"Except waiting. You seem to have as much patience as a three year old." Hood responds.

"I'm ignoring you." Artemis replies, fixing her eyes back on the building below. She knew that it was approaching one and she just hoped that she could be done with this soon. She did have school in the morning, or in a few hours. She lowered her binoculars and sat down. She bent her knee and straightened it a few times, trying to keep it from getting stiff. It hurt a lot, but she gritted her teeth and bared it. Hood noticed...of course.

"You sure your up for this kid? What happened to your knee?" Hood asks.

"I'm not a kid." She responds automatically. "And it's nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing." The Hood says gently. He moves away from the side of the roof to come over to her. He bends down and gently grabs her leg and pulls it up. "Does this hurt?" Artemis bites her lip and nods. He lets it down.

"You definitely have some pretty big bruising on it. I noticed you limping a bit earlier."

"So your a doctor now too."

"I...I had a friend once, we looked out for each other. I banged my knee up pretty bad once and he did something similar. You should be fine in a few days." Hood stands back up and begins walking back over to the edge of the roof to pick up his search for William Oscar.

"Thank you." Artemis says quietly. Oliver spins around to look at her. "Thanks for taking a look, I mean I figured it was bruised, but... um...thanks for caring."

Artemis stands up and walks over to another area of the roof. Nobody had ever taken the time to ask her if something was wrong when she showed up at school with black eyes, bruises, and limping. Nobody ever seemed to care. Maybe Hood wasn't such a bad guy after all.

"I've spotted him." Hood says. "We a go?"

"Yep." Artemis responds, pulling out an arrow and shooting it across to the other roof. Hood does the same. Artemis pulls out a small band from the belt around her waist and slides down the rope, clutching the band, her bow attached to her belt. She landed on the roof gracefully besides Hood.

"You block off his path and I'll come up from behind." Hood directs. Artemis bites her tongue and nods, shooting off down the side of the roof. Below, she could hear the loud, sloppy footsteps of William Oscar as he drunkenly made his way down the alley towards his car. Her knee screamed out in pain, but she ignored it, just like her father taught her too. She notched an arrow and sent it flying in front of the man, stopping him in his place.

"No, no, no, no, no. I thought I escaped him." Oscar begins to say incoherently. Artemis jumps down from the roof onto a fire escape, and then onto a dumpster. She notched an arrow, training it on the man.

"Wrong archer." She replies, taking a spot in front of him.

"Who the hell are you?"

"That's Tigress." Hood says, coming up behind the man, who spun around in fear. "She's my new partner."

"Temporary." Artemis corrects. The hood just nods, aiming an arrow at the quivering man.

"William Oscar, you have failed Starling City."

^^^^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^^^

Oliver smiles triumphantly as he watches William Oscar be led into custody, ready to confess his crimes. His work was done.

"Diggle time to cross another name off that list." Oliver says into his communication unit happily.

"List?" Oliver spins around to see Tigress still there. He had assumed she had left by then. "You have a list?"

"Of everyone that failed my city." He simply responds.

"That's cool. Did you make?" She asks.

"No, somebody close to me did. Why are you suddenly being less combative?" Oliver asks her suspiciously.

"It's nearly three in the morning, I start school in five hours. I'm too tired to be on the offense on the moment." Tigress says.

"You can go home if you want. We're done here." Oliver says.

"Batman told me to meet him here after." She responds, yawning. "Give him a report of what happened and all."

"Oh." Oliver says.

"Yeah." She yawns again. "Just think, you'll be back in your own city some time later today."

"Yeah." Oliver responds, picturing his home, or what he called home. He wasn't sure what home was anymore. "Want me to wait with you?"

"Nah, Batman will probably be here any bit. Besides, I can take care of myself." Tigress tells him. He simply nods.

"You know, working with you wasn't that bad. It was nice meeting you Tigress."

"Likewise Hood."

"Take care of that knee."

"I will."

With that, Oliver spins around, climbing down the fire escape. He had a motorcycle parked a few blocks away that he could us to get back to the hotel and sleep before getting on his plane at noon.

He was barely halfway down the street when he heard the explosion.

Oliver turned and sprinted down the street back towards the roof where he had heard the small explosive go off. There on the top of the roof, he could just barely make out a larger form holding a much smaller form up in the air. He quickly climbed back up the fire escape onto the roof.

Tigress was dangling in mid air, being held around her neck by the same villain with the gray mask, fury clearly flowing off of him in waves. Oliver takes out an arrow, notches it and sends it flying into the thigh of the man. He drops Tigress who lands in a heap on the ground, gasping for breath. The villain laughs, pulling the arrow out. It had not pierced his skin.

"High tech fibers." The villain explains to the baffled Oliver, who had already notched another arrow. "He one of your new hero friends too?"  
"Who told you?" Tigress asks.

"Figured it out for myself baby girl." The man says, pulling out a javelin.

"Hey, leave the kid alone." Oliver shouts out.

"She's not a kid, she's supposed to be my assassin. Not some goody two shoes hero." The man sneers, going to lower the javelin, Tigress rolls out of the way and hops back up onto her feet. "You decide now baby girl, which side are you on?"

Oliver was confused, but the man was rubbing Oliver the wrong way. He shot another arrow at the man before rushing him. The man ducked the arrow and attacked Oliver.

The fight raged on, each man taking and giving out punches and hits. Oliver flips the man onto his back, but he is quickly back up and rushing Oliver.

Suddenly, a net is being wrapped around the villain. Oliver looks over to Tigress, who was reloading her bow. The man fought against the net, now pining him against the brick wall on the roof. She shoots another arrow, this one created high-density foam when it hit its target. The man yelled in anger.

"I see you made your choice baby girl. You'll regret this! Don't even think about going home!" The man shouts. The girl stares sadly at the man though, not saying a single word. Wordlessly, she spins around and climbs down the fire escape. Oliver follows her.

"You alright kid?" He asks.

"I'm not a kid for the last time!" She yells. The two of them step onto the ground. "I haven't been in a long time. It's always been training and more training. I'm not a kid."

"He's your father isn't he?" Oliver asks. She nods.

"Some father he turned out to be." Tigress says, a few tears following down her mask. She furiously wipes at them.

"I'm sorry." Oliver says sincerely.

"I don't want your pity!" She yells. Then more quietly she says, "Where do I go now?" She turns and begins to walk out of the alley. Oliver follows

"Why are you still here?" Tigress asks as she darts down another alley.

"I'm making sure you're okay."

"I'm fine. You're not a hero. You don't know me really. You should just leave and go back to wherever you came from." Tigress says.

"Ki...Tigress, stop for a second." Oliver says. For once, she follows and order and spins around to look at him. Oliver makes a split second decision. A decision that changes two lives forever. "You can come stay with me. Join my team."

"Your joking right?" Tigress asks skeptically. "We don't even know each other's identities."

"Tell me yours then." Oliver asks.

"Nope. If I am to trust you, I need to know yours first Hood." Tigress responds. Oliver stops for a second and thinks about this. He knew it probably wasn't a very good idea, but before him he saw a young scared girl. For a second, he saw Thea in her place. This was how he imagined she must have look right after he and his father went missing.

"Oliver Queen." He says finally, lowering his hood. He watches as the young girl's eyes widen.

"How? That's impossible." Tigress firmly declares.

"A lot of things happened in my five years on that island." Oliver simply replies. The girl stares at him wide eyed.

"Wow. I...I never would have guessed." Tigress finally says.

"Your turn. If you are to come stay with me, I need your name."

"How is that going to work exactly? I mean you're famous."

He shrugs. "I'll just say that I met you when I was in Gotham, you didn't have any place to go, and I have plenty of room."

"So I'll be like your...daughter?" She says, testing out the word in her mouth.

"I guess, we don't have to call it that. We'll just be Oliver and..."

"Artemis." She finally says, removing her mask.

"Hey, your that girl who ran into Felicity." Oliver says.

"I am, what's it to you?" She responds, smiling at last.

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^

On a building not far away, a masked man watched with a smile. A young boy came up to stand besides him.

"So your plan worked?" Robin asks.

"I thought I left you back at the manor?" Batman asks.

"I got bored." Robin says shrugging. "I can't believe your plan actually worked."

"She needed a better place to go and he was the best choice. I knew putting them together on a mission would work. Plus, Sportsmaster was bound to get wind of her activities sooner rather than later. Now she has a place to go." Batman says.

"Cool. You want to race home?" Robin asks smiling. Batman gives one of his rare smiles to the boy he considered his son. He only hoped for the same relationship for Oliver Queen and Artemis Crock.

**A/N: So that was the end of the prologue. Next chapter will be Artemis moving to Starling City. I know that Oliver and Artemis might have been a bit OOC this chapter, but it was kind of needed for me to move this story in the direction I want it to go. I hope you guys like it. Review Please!**


	4. Chapter 1: The Homecoming

**A/N: Season Finale of Arrow, All I can say is...wow. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I wanted say much more. It was epic though. Never saw what happened coming. **

**So the official timeline for this story is that everything that happened in season 1 happened. This is six months after the season finale. Roy joined the team as Arsenal five months ago. Moira is on house arrest and still running Queen Consolidated. She is also on trial still. Oliver and Laurel are together, though neither her nor Thea know the truth yet. **

**Any other questions feel free to ask! Thank you all for reading, you are all awesome. I can't wait for season 2 of Arrow!**

**The New Archer In Town**

_Chapter One: Homecoming_

"Well this is it, home sweet home." Oliver tells Artemis as the car pulls up in front of Queen Mansion. Artemis stared out the window, trying hard not to look to in awe at it all, when in reality it was really quite overwhelming for a girl from the slums of Gotham City. Diggle pulled the car into the circle and parked the car. Oliver, Diggle, and Artemis step out of the car.

Saying Diggle and Felicity were a bit shocked to see Oliver come back to the hotel that night with a twelve year old was an understatement. Neither was able to fully comprehend his reasoning for it. Artemis had been relatively quiet during the whole thing, only imputing facts about herself every now and then. Eventually though, they had come to accept that their team of four was now a team of five.

During the flight back to Starling City, the three of them had spent a portion of the time questioning her, about her life, skills, and training before she fell asleep from exhaustion. Felicity had seemed to warm up to her sooner than Diggle, appreciating the fact that she was no longer the only girl there. She had left the other three when they landed, taking her car back to her own apartment to unpack and meet up with them later at the club.

"You sure about this Oliver?" Diggle whispers even though Artemis could still hear him. She glares at the man, crossing her arms across her chest. Her only luggage was a green backpack that Diggle and Felicity had taken her to buy while Oliver slept and fill with some things to make her look less suspicious. Everything else she owned was back at her old apartment, a place she was no longer permitted. Her bow and other weapons were safely stored away in another trunk with Oliver's things to be taken straight to the club.

The second hand converse Artemis had found at the thrift shop Felicity and Diggle had taken her to crunch on the gravel as the three of them walked towards the door, butterflies fluttering around her chest. Artemis took a deep breath, she is Tigress, she is powerful, and she does not get nervous. Nerves are for the weak, the Crocks rise above that as her father used to say.

Just the thought of Lawrence Crock left a bad taste in her mouth. If she never saw him again for as long as she lived, it would still be too soon. Yet, she knew in the back of her mind that she was not done with him yet. She would encounter Sportsmaster again in her lifetime. She just didn't know when, only that she was determined to come out victorious in the match.

"You ready kid?" Oliver asks, falling away from Diggle to walk besides Artemis.

"As I'll ever be." Artemis responds. "And don't call me kid."

"Relax, and you are a kid. You're twelve remember?" Oliver says, trying to joke. Artemis just scowls besides him as Diggle opens the door and the three of them step in. Artemis puts a smile on her face to greet the new people she was going to be living with.

"Oliver!" Moira Queen says, walking into the front hall. She hugs her son. Artemis does not miss the palpable tension between the two of them though. Interesting. Artemis remembered hearing about Moira being arrested and then put under house arrest. She was pretty sure that Mrs. Queen had been involved somehow in a plot to destroy part of Starling City. Mrs. Queen turns to Diggle. "Mr. Diggle."

"Mrs. Queen." Diggle responds, his voice taking a formal tune. Her eyes then find Artemis standing a little behind the two men.

"Oliver, who is this?" Moira asks, looking at the girl curiously.

"Mom, this is Artemis. She will be staying with us. Think of her as my... ward."

"Honey, I'm too young to be a grandmother." Moira says, laughing uncomfortably. "Really though, who is this?"

"Artemis Crock." Artemis says. "Oliver's agreed to take me in. I met him and Mr. Diggle in Gotham, where I'm from."

"Lovely." Moira turns away from Artemis to Oliver. "Oliver, can I see you in the sitting room for a moment?" Wordlessly, Oliver follows Moira out of the front hall into a side room.

'Seriously?" Artemis says shaking her head.

"Excuse me?" Diggle asks, turning to the girl in confusion.

"I know they are talking about me in there. To think the whole, "can I see you over there" thing would fool me..." Artemis trails off shaking her head. "I'm twelve, not stupid."

Diggle smiles at the girl. Slowly, in the sixteen hours since meeting her, she had begun to grow on him. "I'm sure it's nothing."

At that moment, another person came down the stairs. She had brown hair and wore pale pink pants, brown wedges, and a sleeveless clear blue button up shirt with a white tank top on underneath. She stops when she sees the unfamiliar girl in the front hall.

"Um, who is this?" She asks in confusion.

"Artemis." Artemis tells her.

"Oliver's new ward." Diggle adds.

"Really?" Thea Queen asks, clearly shocked. "I never took Ollie as the having kids type. I'm Thea by the way. How old are you Artemis?"

"Twelve. And I'm from Gotham City." Artemis says. "I figured you were going to ask where I am from next." The room is silent.

"Where are you off to Miss Queen?" Diggle asks, breaking the silence.

"I'm meeting some friends to go shopping." Thea says, still looking at the girl in confusion. "Tell Ollie I'll speak to him...later."

With that, Thea disappears out the big front doors. Artemis turns to Diggle.

"That's Oliver's sister right?" Artemis asks.

"Yep." Diggle responds as Oliver reappears in the hallway, a scowl on his face and his mother nowhere in sight.

"Come on, I'll show you to your room." Oliver says to Artemis. Artemis gives a fleeting look at Diggle, before following Oliver up the staircase. Wordlessly, Oliver leads her down a hallway to a spare bedroom. He opens the door and the two of them walk in.

The room was large, larger then her old bedroom and living room combined. A king sized bed was up against one wall, a desk and mirror across from it. To one side were dressers and a large closet.

"Here's your room, do whatever you want with it. Sorry it's so sparse right now."

"It's perfect." Artemis says, smiling widely as she flings the backpack aside and jumps onto the bed. A small smile comes across Oliver's face as he watches her jump around excitedly on her new bed.

"If you don't mind, I have some things..." Artemis interrupts Oliver.

"I do mind. I'm coming with you. I have nothing else to do and I need to experience my new lifestyle." Artemis insists, sitting up.

"Don't you want to unpack?" Oliver asks.

"Nope, none of that stuff is mine, plus I will never wear any of it. Felicity picked it out and there are a bunch of cardigans and nice clothes in there. Do I look like a cardigan wearer?" Artemis asks. She had picked out the clothes she was wearing at the moment at the thrift shop, finding a comfortable pair of jeans with a hole over the knee, a plain black t-shirt, and converse. Oliver sighed.

"I'll take you shopping for new clothes tomorrow. I have some things to get done at my club."

"Great, let's go." Artemis says, getting up and moving towards the door. Oliver stood in place still. "What are you waiting for? Allons-y!"

Artemis walks out of the door disappearing for a moment. She sticks her head back in though with a smile.

"That means let's go. I speak fluent French and Vietnamese, by the way." Artemis disappears again, Oliver following behind her, closing the door as he left.

^^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^

"So our base of operations is out of the basement of your nightclub, which is just a front. Am I correct?" Artemis asks as she looks around the room, definitely impressed. She walked over to the box with Oliver's things that he had taken to Gotham. Next to it was a smaller one. She opened it, pulling out her Tigress uniform and bow. She threw the Tigress costume on the floor. "I don't want to be Tigress anymore."

Oliver and Diggle look at her in confusion. For a brief second, they saw a small twelve-year-old girl, holding a weapon that she shouldn't. She didn't look at all like how she usually appeared. Quickly though, the brief moment of insecurity passed, and she looked at the two men with her usual smirk.

"I'll text Felicity and see if she can do anything." Diggle says. Artemis nods.

"Good."

"What do you want your new persona to be then?" Oliver asks her. Artemis contemplates for a moment.

"Artemis, just plain Artemis." Diggle looks like he is about to protest but she continues. "Think about it, Artemis is the Greek goddess of the hunt, it's not that big of a stretch to have an archer's codename be Artemis. Besides, it's better than Hood Guy."

"Point taken." Oliver simply states. He walks over and takes her bow from her, she begins to protest, but he quiets her with a look. He walks over to a back wall where an array of guns and other weapons were set up. He rests the bow on a spare peg. "There, this will be your section. Do whatever you want with it."

Artemis took out her cross bow and other weapons, moving them over to the pegs on the wall. Her eyes travelled over to the other area.

"Whose stuff is that?" She asks.

"Roy Harper, code name, Arsenal, my other protégé." Oliver states.

"Partner Oliver, remember?" A voice says jokingly from the stairwell. A late teenaged boy appears suddenly in the basement. His eyes immediately find Artemis. "Who the hell is this?"

"Name's Artemis Crock." Artemis says defensively, already sensing trouble from this boy.

"What is she doing here?" He asks Oliver, ignoring Artemis. She glared at him, crossing her arms across her chest.

"She's...she's..."Oliver once again struggled to find the words to adequately describe what he and Artemis were.

"I'm staying with him and he's continuing my training. My last situation was less than satisfactory." Artemis says, sounding smarter than her mere twelve years of age. Oliver looked over at her, taking in her defensive stance and rigid features. He was going to have to teach her to loosen up a bit. Then again, maybe somebody else would be better at that.

"She's joining the team?" Roy asks incredulous.

"She is standing right here. And yes, I am." Artemis states.

"How? You're a kid."

"I'm twelve. Robin is probably younger than I am."

"Whose Robin?"

"Sidekick to Gotham's City own hero." Oliver says, stepping between the two. "Artemis has great skill with the bow and will be joining our ranks. She will be staying at the Queen Mansion with me."

"So, you're going to be sending a twelve year old kid into the Glades? Really Oliver?" Roy asks.

"I can take care of myself. I'm not a kid." Artemis defends.

"Oh yeah? Really?"

"I could take you down in a second."

"I would like..." Artemis dropping down and sweeping his feet out from under him, interrupts Roy. She presses an arm around his neck, keeping him down.

"Think I can't take care of myself?" Artemis asks.

"Yes, because I am still bigger than you and can do this." Roy pushes Artemis aside, but she lands gracefully on her feet.

"Guys, I don't think this is a good idea." Oliver interrupts. Diggle nods his head.

"Shut up Oliver." Roy and Artemis reply at the same time. Roy was back on his feet and the two begin circling each other. Oliver moves off to the side to stand besides Diggle.

"Does this count as bonding?" Oliver whispers quietly to Diggle.

"No clue." Diggle replies back quietly.

Roy goes to make a move for Artemis but she casually does a backhand spring away from him.

"Going to have to be quicker than that." Artemis taunts. Roy goes to hit her but she ducks, and once again sweeps his legs out from under him. She places a foot on his chest. "Give up yet? You're pretty good for a rookie, I'll give you that."

"And you've been training so much longer than me." Roy responds sarcastically, pushing her leg aside and sitting up.

"Since I was five. More intensely after I turned eight though." Artemis says casually. Roy's eyebrows shoot up and he looks at her in amazement.

"Five?"

"Five." She confirms. Roy just kind of nods and turns to Oliver.

"So, whom are we taking down tonight?" Roy asks with a smile on his face.

"Quentin Stilton." Oliver responds.

"Awesome, when do we go?" Artemis asks.

"You aren't going anywhere." Oliver says, turning to Artemis.

"What?" Artemis asks clearly annoyed.

"We should probably go now." Diggle says quietly to Roy, pulling him up the stairs. Diggle could tell that World War III was about to erupt in the hideout.

"You can't be serious." Artemis says. "You know I can fight."

"Starling City is a much different place than Gotham. I want you to wait a few nights and get more acclimated to the city."

"You're joking right? Gotham City is the most crime-ridden city in the United States! I came here so that I can join your team and help fight. I can't do that if you won't let me fight."

"Yes, but you're not ready. You don't even have a costume yet. Take a few days off, get used to the city, and then you can come out with me." Angrily, Artemis kicks one of the tables, sending arrows flying across the ground. The sounds of the clattering arrows are the only sound in the basement for a moment, as the two quietly, but deadly, stare each other down.

"You can't do this!" Artemis shouts, breaking the silence and the staring contest.

"I'm your guardian, I can do it."

"Not officially."

"It will be official eventually."

"This isn't fair."

"It's for your own safety." Oliver states.

"I can't believe you. I thought you were different, instead you're treating me like a kid, like everyone treats me." Artemis seethes.

"Newsflash, you are a kid." Oliver responds. "Go have Diggle drive you home."

"No."

"Artemis."

"You aren't the boss of me." Wordlessly, Artemis flies up the stairs. Oliver follows her as she runs out of the club and onto the streets of the Glades. Oliver follows her until he could no longer see her. Diggle and Roy run to catch up with him, startled by him and Artemis running out of the club.

"Damn it." Oliver shouts, kicking over a trashcan.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^

Angrily, Artemis kicked over a trashcan. She had wondered into a deserted alley after loosing Oliver. By this point in her training, she could loose a tail fairly easily. She kicked over another trashcan.

Who did Oliver think he was? They had known each other for less than 48 hours and already he was trying to dictate her life. Who was he to say she couldn't go out and fight? She needed to. There was something inside of her that loved the thrill of the fight, and she knew that that thing would be what keeps her in this life until her dying day.

"You kicking over trashcans as well?" Artemis spun around when she heard the voice. Diggle stood at the entrance of the alley.

"How did you...?" She trails off.

"It was fairly easy. I grew up around here, I know these streets and where a person trying to hide would go." Diggle says. Artemis sits against the wall. Diggle joins her.

"This was a bad idea. I don't belong here." Artemis says, voicing the fear that had been growing in the back of her mind since the car pulled up in front of Queen Mansion earlier today.

"You know, people are always saying that. And you know what I think?" Diggle starts. "I think that the only places you don't belong, are the places that you think you don't. That make any sense?"

"A bit." Artemis says.

"Basically, where you do and don't belong all comes down to you. You are the only person to decide if you belong or not."

"I don't believe that. Look at Mrs. Queen, or Thea, or Roy. They clearly all think I shouldn't be here." Artemis says.

"Artemis, you just need to ignore them. Oliver wants you here. He thinks that you can be something great, but you need to work with him too. You two are partners now, but he is also your guardian. He is only trying to do what he thinks is right. He's lost a lot of people, we all have, and we don't want that to happen to you." Diggle states sadly.

"I've lost people already." Artemis says, sadly. Diggle nods.

"I can see that. One day, I'm sure you'll tell us about it, but for now, just know that Oliver doesn't want to loose you too."

"He barely knows me."

"Yeah, but he sees something special in you and in a short period of time, I'm starting to see it too."

"Really?"

"Really. I'll drive you back to the mansion now, alright?" Diggle asks.

"Okay." Artemis nods. Diggle stands up and extends his hand to help the girl up as well. Once they are both on their feet, Artemis makes a split second decision. She wraps her arms around the man in a hug. "Thank you for that."

"It was nothing." Diggle replies. Artemis pulls away and the two begin walking in the direction of the car.

**A/N: I hope you guys all liked it. Next chapter will have a bit more action, including Detective Lance's first meeting with the newest member of the Arrow Team. Review and tell me your thoughts. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 2: The Dilemma

**A/N: Hello everyone. So I am officially making the updating day for this story on Thursday. I hope you all like this chapter. And if any of you have a chance, please check out the original superhero story I am writing with Punisher 164 on fictionpress. The URL is below. Thank you everyone for reading and please review. **

s/3126044/1/The-Team

**The New Archer in Town**

_Chapter 2: The Dilemma_

Artemis was patient the first night. She stayed with Felicity hearing about the mission as Roy, Diggle, and Oliver took down the bad guy. She was a little less happy the next time he went out two nights later when Oliver wouldn't let her come again, but remembering Diggle's words, she didn't say anything. Instead, she took the opportunity to explore the city a bit on her own and a communicator in her ear to stay in contact with Felicity and Oliver.

It was the third night that she got annoyed. That morning Artemis had walked into the hideout to see a beautiful green uniform waiting for her by her bow. She immediately put it on, wanting to go out and kick some bad guy ass that moment. Of course, Oliver chose that moment to walk in and inform her that she was sitting out another night.

"Why? I've been patient, come on Oliver, let me fight." Artemis begs. "I'm ready."

"Not yet." Oliver tells her.

"You're being ridiculous." Artemis tells him. "Not to mention unfair. I'm so bored. It's summer, so its not like I have to worry about school. I have no friends. I'm apart of nothing but this. You need to let me go."

"No, I'm sorry Artemis." Oliver tells her. Felicity and Diggle purposely look away as tears form in the girl's eyes. She furiously wipes them away though.  
"I should have just stayed in Gotham. At least there I would actually have a purpose." Artemis says, walking towards the stairs. Oliver intercepts though, grabbing her arm.

"What do you mean by have a purpose?"

She sighs. "Being a hero, it makes everything that I've learned, everything that I've been forced to do, worth it. It gives me a purpose to make up for every bad thing my family has done. Being a hero is my chance of redemption." Artemis shakes Oliver's arm off and turns to Diggle.

"Can I have a ride back to the mansion?" She asks him.

"Sure." Diggle says walking over to her. They walk up the stairs together, Diggle talking softly to her, trying to provide some sort of comfort. Oliver sighs as he hears the door shut.

"You know that was kind of a dick move." Felicity says from her seat in front of her computer. Oliver turns to look at her. "Not that I am thinking that or anything. Just you know, stating a fact." She pretends to be reading something interesting on screen.

Oliver stares at Artemis' bow on the wall. He knew that she was good enough to be out in the field and honestly he could let her come. The thing was, every time he thought of letting her come, he pictured Thea. She was only twelve, the same of Artemis, when he left. So whenever he went to tell Artemis that she could come out in the field with him, he saw Thea out there instead.

"Why can't I say yes to her?" He asks to nobody in particular. Felicity looks over at him. "I mean she's a kid. But I know for a fact that she could probably take me on and, not necessary win, but get a few good hits in. When she's in a mask its easy to forget she's twelve, but not when she standing right in front of me. I don't want this life for her and I barely know her."

"Maybe that's the problem, you barely know her." Felicity states.

"What?"

"Oliver, if you take more time to get to know her, you would realize how similar she is to you."

"We're so different."

"In same things, but where it matters, you are both the same. And where you are different, she challenges you, which is also good. " Felicity says.

"I'll talk to her...tomorrow. When she isn't royally pissed off at me." Oliver finally decides.

"Tomorrow might be to late." Felicity says under her breath.

"What did you say?"

"Just that your plan sounds awesome." Felicity tells him. He gives her a knowing look before turning to walk up the stairs to deal with club business.

^^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^^^

Artemis sat on her bed, staring at the wall. It wasn't like she had anything better to do. Her whole life had been dedicated to learning to fight and training, not necessarily by choice, but what was done was done. Not having anything else to do, she was left to stare and the wall and think.

To say that the idea of just leaving, making it on her own, definitely passed her mind, but in the end, she didn't want to be all alone. Plus, even if Oliver didn't come after her, her father would find her eventually. She figured she was safest here if he did ever come for her.

Her father scared her more then anything in the world, even more than death. He is her biggest fear. And despite all the fronts she put up and all the walls she put up with her fake bravado, under all of that, she was terrified of having to confront him. At least with Oliver she wouldn't be alone. She understood that it was hard for him to let her come out in the field with him.

Still, she needed to get out there and get some action. Whether Oliver wanted her to or not. Slowly a plan formed in her mind. She smiled to herself as she pictured it. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

Oliver stuck his head in the room. Artemis put an annoyed expression on her face as she glared at him. He opened the door a little farther.

"Dinner's ready, you should probably come downstairs." Oliver tells her. She gets up, not carrying if her clothes looked a little rumpled and not in the same pristine condition of everyone else in the Queen family.

"Whatever." She said walking out the door past Oliver. He grabs her arm, stopping her. "You really need to quit doing that."

"Look, Artemis, I'm sorry that things haven't gone exactly the way I am sure you planned them but we can do some more training together and with time, I'm sure I will be more okay with the idea of sending you out into the field. It would be just until I think you are ready."

"Ready? Oliver..." He cuts her off.

"Please Artemis? I don't want to fight you on this anymore. I think it has given me a gray hair." He says bending down and pointing to his head. Artemis does a cursory glance.

"I don't see anything." She says crossing her arms across her chest.

"Well it'll be there soon." He says with a grin and despite her self, Artemis grins too. But she quickly wipes it off her face.

"Fine. We will train more." Artemis says. Oliver smiles at her and the two of them make their way down the stairs. Of course, he didn't have to know about her plan. If she stayed in secret, she could do her thing, keep Oliver in the dark, and get more training so that she could officially go out into the field with him as his partner. She smiled to herself; her luck was beginning to turn.

^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^

The plan was genius if she did say so herself. As soon as Oliver left for the club, Artemis was opening up her window to climb down the ivy that was growing on the wall. (She had already raced Oliver the night before since he didn't go out into the field that night, she won)

After that she darted across the yard, waiting for the guard to walk past before tackling the wall. From there it was smooth sailing. She walked about two miles into a more populated section of Starling City and hailed a taxi. A man drove up to her and gave her a skeptical look.

"Where are your parents?" He asks.

"The Glades, near the club Verdant. They own a small business and I was at a friend's house. They got held up at work and can't pick me up so I told them I would take a taxi." Artemis tells the taxi driver. He shrugs.

"You got money?" In responds, Artemis holds up a wad of cash she had nicked out of Moira Queen's purse after dinner. It was revenge for the judgmental look the lady had given her when she appeared at dinner in ripped jeans and a baggy sweatshirt. As well as the questions she kept asking her even after Oliver told her to stop. Eventually Artemis had left the table, she knew when she wasn't wanted. "Hop on in kid."

Artemis moves into the backseat of the taxi. The next step was a bit tricky, but not too much of a challenge. As they entered the ruined mess that was the Glades even six months after the manmade earthquake, Artemis pulled out the cell phone Oliver had bought her on their shopping trip a few days ago. Thea had come along as well, not trusting either of us to pick out suitable clothes. Artemis was pretty sure that she had begun to grow in the girl a bit.

Anyways, she pulled out the phone and sent Felicity a text message asking her to meet her outside of Verdant. She sent the message and then turned to the driver.

"You can stop here. My parent's shop is only about a block away." He shrugs again and pulls over to the curb. Artemis hands him over the money he needs, throwing in a generous tip as well, before getting out of the car. As she walks towards the back entrance of Verdant, her phone buzzes.

_I'll be out in a sec_

Artemis smiles as she enters into the club. Going through a few back hallways, she comes upon the door to the basement. Making sure that nobody is looking; she quickly enters in the key code and goes down into the basement. She quickly snatches her favorite bow, placing a spare one that Oliver had had made for her that had been kept in a box in it's place and she grabs the spare costume, also still in a box. Quickly, Artemis climbs up the stairs and heads back to the back door.

_Where are you?_

Placing her stuff down in the alley in the back of the club once she is out, she sends a reply.

_Sorry, hit some bad traffic. Will be there in a second._

She walks out of the alley onto the main strip. She could see Felicity scanning the crowds of people for her. She breaks away from the crowd and approaches her.

"Oh, there you are!" Felicity exclaims. "What do you need?"

"Oliver told me that I have to check in with you before going places so I wanted to know if it is okay if I go explore the business district."

"The business district?"

"I have to make sure that I am completely familiar with Starling City before I begin patrolling."

"Of course you can go, but why didn't you just call me to ask?"

"Oh, I just wanted to check in with you in person." Artemis tells her. Felicity gives her a skeptical look but moves on.

"Alright, I'm going to head back in to keep an eye on the boys and their mission. Call me with any trouble okay?"

"Course. See you Felicity." Artemis says. Felicity heads back inside and Artemis sneaks back around to the back alley. She quickly changes into her awesome new uniform and pulled on her mask. She stored her civvies under the dumpster and then took off into the night.

Artemis smiled happily to herself as she sat on a rooftop three hours later. That night she had prevented an attempted rapist and she had stopped three muggings. So far it had been a pretty good night. She surveyed the area around her. She was in more of a middle class district of Starling City. A bunch of cute shops with brightly colored signs littered the street below. She watched as a group of teens walked by, laughing and drinking soda.

Suddenly, Artemis spots a suspicious looking guy in all black slink through a back alley across the street from the roof she sat on. She watched as he elbowed a window and slid into the store. No alarms went off though and nobody seemed to notice but her. Artemis knew that she could take him on, but she had a problem, how was she to cross the street without being seen?

She scanned her surroundings, taking in everything like her dad taught her. Her only possible solution seemed to come from the telephone wire crossing from this roof to the other. Still, she ran the risk of somebody looking up and spotting her. Securing her arrows in her quiver and her bow to her side, she made the decision.

Gently she gripped the wire. It was coated with enough rubber that it wasn't shocking her. Taking a deep breath, she put all her weight on the wire and began to pull herself across as quickly as possible, telling herself not to look down. Eyes shut, she pulled herself along.

Finally she reached the other end. Pulling out her bow and taking a deep breath to calm her beating heart, she slid down the fire escape into the alley. Looking both ways, she climbed in through the same window the thief used, finding herself in an office of sorts.

Notching an arrow in her bow, She walked down the hall towards the show room. Taking a deep breath, she entered the show room. The thief was too busy stuffing as much jewelry as possible into a small sack to notice her.

"I doubt that belongs to you." She says in a low voice. The man turns around, pointing a gun at Artemis.

"Who are you?" He questions.

"Artemis."

"You work with the vigilante?"

"Something like that." Artemis states nonchalantly. "Now, put that stuff back and we'll have no problems."

"No can do sweetie. Besides, what's a kid like you going to do about it? Can you even use that bow?" As a response Artemis shoots an arrow, cutting through his sleeve. It was a clean shot, not even drawing any blood.

"Next time I won't be so nice." Artemis threatens. The man aims his gun at her and fires. She quickly jumps over a counter, taking cover behind a jewelry showcase. A bullet ripped through the glass, shattering it all around her. She notched one of her blunt arrows and fired. She hit the man in the shoulder. He groaned in pain but Artemis knew that the worst it would do was give him a pretty nasty bruise. She notched another arrow, but ducked down below the counter again when a volley of bullets were fired.

A shard of glass cut her shoulder. She didn't even notice until she felt the blood flowing down her arm. She looked over at it, frowning. Oliver was not going to be happy. She was going to need a very good excuse for that.

She notched another blunt arrow shooting it at him. He jumps behind the counter opposite of her, narrowly missing the arrow. She notched another arrow and got ready to shoot when suddenly sirens appeared in front of the store. Thinking back to the window she mentally kicked herself.

"You idiot! What kind of thief are you? There was a silent alarm on the damn window!" Artemis shouts. Across the store she could see the man's eyes rise in realization as the door is opened and a swarm of police officers come in. There was no hiding this from Oliver now.

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^^

Oliver stood on the building besides Arsenal. Looking through binoculars, he watched the corrupt businessman walk around his office again, talking on the phone still. Arsenal sighed, he hated stakeouts.

"When are we attacking Hood?"

"When I think it's right." He simply responds. Arsenal sighs and goes back to grumpily staring through the binoculars. Diggle had the night off for his date with Carly.

"Hey Oliver." Felicity says through the communicators. Oliver puts down his binoculars and Roy does the same. "Um...you might want to hear this." Detective Lance's voice came on suddenly from a police scanner that Felicity had hacked into.

"This is Detective Lance. We are coming in with two potential jewelry thieves. One is a man about age forty and the other is a girl with a bunch of arrows. Yeah, I know. She refuses to take off her mask." Oliver groans in annoyance. Felicity turns the police scanner off.

"You think it's her?" Felicity asks.

"It is. She must have snuck in and taken her stuff. My only question is when." Felicity gasps. "What?"

"Um...I think I know when." Felicity says trailing off. "In my defense it sounded reasonable and there was a lot of traffic."

"It doesn't matter now. I need to go get her before Lance discovers her identity. It's dangerous for all of us as well as her. I'm out." Oliver says, turning to Roy. "We're done for the evening. We'll resume this tomorrow."

"Sounds good. Have fun breaking little Arty out of jail." Roy says, chuckling to himself as Oliver angrily climbed down from the roof to his motorcycle.

As Oliver drove through the city, he remembered what his mother had said to him when he first brought Artemis.

_"Oliver you can't handle a child. You've grown up a lot since coming back from the island, but you're not ready. This isn't going to end well for either you or the child."_

Maybe she was right. Taking in Artemis may have just been his biggest mistake yet.

^^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^

Grumpily, Artemis stared at the man across from her. He had her bow in his hands. Her Bow. She crossed her arms; mimicking the glare he was giving her.

"So what were you doing in that store?" He asks.

"I was trying to stop him."

"You sure?"

"I'm certain." She responds.

"So what should I call you?" The man asks.

"What should I call you?" Artemis cheekily responds.

"Detective Lance."

"Artemis."

"Like the goddess of the hunt?" Detective Lance asks. Despite the situation, Artemis smirks to herself. She was so right.

"Yep."

"Do you work with the vigilante?"

"Who's that?"

"You don't know who he is? Well he shoots arrows, just like you." D.L. as Artemis was calling him in her head, said.

"I'm new to town. Still learning. Vigilante you say?"

"Just like you."

"You know, where I come from, we're considered heroes." Artemis tells him.

"That's not how we run things around here in Starling."

"Obviously." Artemis says, adding in an eye roll for affect. D.L. stares at her angrily before a phone rings. He places the bow and quiver against the table.

"One second." He says, stepping out of the interrogation room. Artemis sighs angrily as suddenly the lights go out and the door opens. Artemis stands but her hand is chained to the table. Oliver appears suddenly with a key.

"Ol..."

"We'll talk later kid. You have a lot of explaining to do." Oliver says as he unlocks the cuff. Artemis grabs her bow and quiver and the two run out of the station, hoping onto the motorcycle. As they drive off, Artemis turns around to see an annoyed D.L. running out of the station, looking around for them.

^^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Alright," Oliver says when they are back at the mansion and in civvies. Artemis sits on her bed and Oliver across from her. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I just wanted to be a hero again." She says quietly.

"Even after I specifically told you not to go out there tonight?" Oliver says.

"I wanted to. I wanted to be a hero again. Do you want me to spell it out for you? I've been telling you over and over again why I need to do this. Can't you just listen to me?" Artemis asks.

"I'm also supposed to be your guardian and do what I think is best for you."

"What a guardian you've been."

"Excuse me?"

"It's not like I ever see you. The few times we cross path during the day and dinner are really it. You're always planning for missions that you don't let me go on or doing things for Verdant."

"I'm busy." Oliver responds.

"I get that, but still...I thought..." Artemis trails off.

"You thought what?"

"That maybe I could be apart of a family again." Artemis says. "But you clearly don't want me hear, your mom doesn't and your sister isn't sure. I should have never come."

"Artemis..."

"Don't lie to me. I can tell that even as we speak you are debating whether this was a good idea or not."

"Look, I'm sorry Artemis." Oliver starts.

"But this isn't going to work out." Artemis says. "I get it, I'll leave." Artemis turns away from him; she lies down in the bed pulling a blanket up around her. "We can make arrangements tomorrow." With that Artemis buries her head into the pillow.

Oliver sighs and gets up, not knowing what else to do. He walks out of the room. As soon as the door is shut Artemis lets a single tear roll down her cheek.

**A/N: You knew there was going to be some trouble making adjustments between the two. Don't worry though. The next chapter will take place right after this and then I'll probably skip ahead a few months into the future. That's probably how this story will go. Every few chapters I'll skip ahead in time. Hope you liked it. Please review and I'll see you all next Thursday!**


	6. Chapter 3: The Awakening

**A/N: I AM SO SO SORRY GUYS! I really meant to have this posted yesterday but I was stuck at school from 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM because of my end of season track banquet. (Yes my coach can talk for three hours) I'm really sorry guys. **

**So after this chapter there will be a time skip to the end of summer, so just a few months. There may be longer time skips in the future. I hope you all enjoy this chapter; Laurel is coming in for the first time. It is also a bit cheesy and fluffy, but I figured they both disserved it as characters with both of them in their shows loosing important people to them. They deserve some fluff instead of the usual angst. Also the URL for mine and Punisher164's story on Fictionpress is on my profile. Please check it out! It would mean a lot to me!**

**Disclaimer: Neither show is mine**

**The New Archer in Town**

_Chapter 3: The Awakening_

Oliver was awoken later that night by yelling. It then morphed into screams of terror. Oliver leaped out of bed and ran towards his door. If somebody were attacking his family, there would be hell to pay. Thea and his mother met him out in the hallway.

"Is that Artemis?" His mom asks him. He surveys the group and nods. He moves to run down the hallway and stop whatever attacker there is but Thea stops him.

"Charging in might not be the right solution." Thea tells him.

"Thea, we don't have time for this! There is an attacker in the house! Alert the guards, get to safety." He urges.

"Oliver, stop. There is no attacker." Moira says.

"How do you know?" He asks.

"Cause I did the same thing after you and dad went missing." Thea says. "It's a nightmare."

"Comfort is the best solution." Moira says.

"Wait, you think I should go in there?" Oliver asks, his head clearer now that he knew that nobody was under attack.

"She trusts you the most." Thea states.

"She hates me. She thinks I want to send her away."

"Do you?"

"...I don't know." Oliver trails off, turning to his mother. "You were right mom, this might have not been the best decision."

"What's done is done Oliver. You can't just send her away." Moira states. "We will all adjust." Artemis' scream echoes down the hall. "Alright, enough talk. I would like to go to sleep." With that, Moira Queen walked back towards her room.

"Just talk to her Ollie." Thea suggests. She then turns and goes back to her room as well.

Oliver sighs but walks down the hallway towards Artemis' room. He opens to door and spots the girl, tangled in sheets, thrashing about wildly in bed. A few tears were streaming down her cheek, but she still seemed very much asleep.

"Stop, stop, stop." She mumbles in coherently. Oliver approaches the bed, sitting down on the edge to avoid the thrashing limbs. He grabbed her shoulder and tried shaking her awake. Nothing changes.

"Artemis wake up." He says.

"Mommy." She says softly as she begins to wake up. She looks up to see Oliver though and everything comes crashing back. "Oh, its you." Her voice wavered and shook a bit. "Need me to leave right now?"

"Artemis, you had a nightmare." He says.

"Way to state the obvious." Her usual snarkiness was back, but it sounded a bit forced. "What do you want?"

"Artemis, you were screaming. I came to wake you up." Oliver explains.

"Oh." Artemis says, pulling the blanket up a bit more around her shoulders. "Thanks for that, you can leave now."

"We should talk."

"I don't want to talk about what happened with the robbery." Artemis states.

"Not about that, your nightmare. Is there anything bothering you?" She gives him a look. "Okay, bad question. Just talk to me."

"First off, it wasn't a nightmare. It was a memory, a bad one. Can I go back to sleep now?" Artemis asks.

"Artemis..." Oliver trails off.

"Fine. It was the same one I always have. It starts off really nice; I'm sitting in my kitchen telling my mom and my sister about what had happened to me at school that day. Jade, my sister laughs at me a bit and my mom tells her to stop. I ignore it though and continue my story. My dad walking in interrupts it. He was wasted and walks right up to my mom and tells her that he and her have a job that they are going to do together that night.

"After that my mom gets really mad. They are yelling. Most of it was in French and Vietnamese with some English thrown in. That's when Jade steps in and tries to argue on mom's defense. He reacts by hitting her and causing her to stumble back into the table. A plate breaks and a piece of the glass flies out and cuts me on my leg. My mom starts screaming again. Everyone was yelling and screaming and I was just sitting there helplessly saying stop over and over again as my leg bled.

Usually there is more but you interrupted." Artemis finishes her story, pulling the blanket up over her face to hide.

"I'm sorry Artemis." Oliver says sincerely.

"I was only six at the time. I just wanted my family to act like a family. I hadn't yet realized how broken it was." Artemis tells him, still under her blanket. Oliver awkwardly places a hand on her shoulder.

"No kid should have to go through that."

"There are people who experience worst. At least I had a family, despite how broken they were. I just feel so ridiculous and weak." Artemis says.

"Being scared isn't a weakness Artemis."

"Tell that to him." Artemis responds bitterly.

"I get scared sometimes." Oliver is surprised by the words that come out of his mouth, but it works. Artemis pulls the blanket away from her face.

"Really?" She asks.

"Yeah, all the time. I spent five years on a hostile island. I was always afraid that somebody was going to kill me every night when I went to sleep. I was scared that something was going to happen to my companions who had become my friends. Coming back here, I was still scared of people hurting my friends. I am still scared that I won't be able to honor my father's dying wishes and that I will fail him. Artemis, fear is a completely natural part of life, I assure you." Oliver tells her.

"Have you ever had a nightmare?" She asks him.

"Yes, I have. They aren't fun."

"No, they aren't." She replies.

"Why don't you go back to sleep?" Oliver suggests.

"What if it comes back?" Artemis asks.

"Don't worry, I'll be right here if it does." Oliver tells her.

"Really?" Oliver looked at the vulnerable girl besides him. She was just as broken as him if not more. That was one of the reasons he had suggested taking her in. If she could find redemption and be put back together, then he could too. He hadn't realized it then, but looking at her now, he did. Helping her is his redemption.

"Really."

Artemis nods and pulls the blanket up to her shoulders. She moves over to one side, making room for Oliver. He laid down on one end, moving away from sitting on the edge.

"Good night Artemis." He says.

"Night Oliver." She mumbles as her eyes close and she begins to drift back off to sleep. Oliver watches her for a few moments before going off to sleep himself.

^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^

Oliver woke up the next morning. Besides him, Artemis was still sound asleep. He smiles at her, realizing that she actually looked peaceful for once. He got up and walked out of her room down the hall towards his. Thea intercepts him along the way.

"Morning Oliver looks like everything went well." Thea comments.

"Yeah, it did." Oliver responds.

"Good. You know, she's really started to grow on me. Mom too, she just won't admit it." Thea says with a smile. "Now, I am out to meet Roy. Talk to you later?"  
"Course. Have a good time, be safe." Oliver tells her. She rolls her eyes in response as she walks down the staircase.

Once in his room, Oliver changes into a t-shirt and jeans before walking down to the kitchen. He didn't have anything to do for Verdant that day and he was going to have some fun. Artemis is there, sitting at the counter in her pajama shorts and t-shirt, eating a bowl of cereal.

"Morning." He says to her.

"Morning." She responds.

"So is that what you plan on wearing into town today?" Oliver asks. He watches as confusion crosses her face until realization dawns on her.

"You don't have anything to do today?" She asks.

"Nope. You and I are going to spend some time together and do something fun." Oliver tells her. She smiles widely.

"That sounds awesome. I'll go change." Artemis hops off of the chair, throwing her left over cereal into the sink, and then runs out of the room.

Ten minutes later while Oliver is eating an apple and skimming the newspaper, she reappears in jean shorts, a simple long sleeved blue shirt, and black converse. Her hair was also brushed and up in a ponytail.

"We going?" She asks. Oliver smiles and throws his apple core away.

"Yeah, let's go."

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^

Oliver gives Diggle the day off so that it is just he and Artemis. They had already walked through the Starling City street fair and had just begun to walk through the park, eating ice cream. Oliver was in the middle of telling Artemis a funny story about a prank that he and Tommy had pulled on this jogger when they were kids, leaving out Tommy's name though, when suddenly somebody is shouting at them.

"Oliver!" Both turn around to see a brown haired girl jogging towards them. Artemis had no clue that she was but she could tell that Oliver was clearly delighted to see her. Artemis watches with mild amusement as she approaches. She and Oliver share a brief kiss.

"Laurel, I thought you weren't coming back from Florida until Monday?" Oliver asks her.

"Plans changed. Joanna got really sunburned and we had already spoken with enough people for the case so we decided to come back early." Laurel says. Her eyes finally land on Artemis and she looks down at the blonde haired girl in confusion. She breaks away from Oliver and goes to stand in front of Artemis. "Hi, I'm Laurel."  
"Artemis. Are you and Oliver dating or something?" Artemis asks. Laurel laughs a bit.

"Yes we are. Excuse my asking, but how do you know Oliver?" Laurel asks.

"I've been living with him the past week." Artemis responds.

"Oh." Laurel looks over at Oliver in confusion. He explains further.

"I met Artemis in Gotham City. She wasn't in a very good situation so I offered for her to stay with me. We're still adjusting, but things are looking up, right kid?"

"Don't call me kid, but yeah, things are looking up." Artemis replies, smiling.

"Well it's very nice to meet you Artemis. It'll be a pleasure to get to know you more in the future." Laurel turns to Oliver. "I'll call you tonight."

"Alright." He leans over and kisses her again. "Have fun on your run."

"As long as there are no dead rodents awaiting me like that time you and..." She abruptly stops talking and looks at the ground in sadness. "Yeah. I'll talk to you later."

With that she turns around and commences to run again. Artemis looks up at Oliver to see the same sadness in his eyes as well.

"Who did you pull the dead rodent trick with Oliver?" Artemis asks as they begin to walk again, both of their ice cream's long forgotten.

"Tommy." He says softly.

"Who was Tommy?" Artemis asks carefully.

"My best friend. I failed him." Oliver states, tossing the dripping ice cream into a nearby trashcan. Artemis is about to say something when Oliver quickly says, "Hey, you want to go see a movie? I heard that there is a good action flick playing right now."

"Sure." Artemis responds. Oliver looks relieved as they walk out of the park. Artemis was starting to realize just what he meant by the fact that he was broken as well.

^^^^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^^

Artemis was lying on a training mat lazily counting the artificial lights overhead when something was thrown at her. She sits up and looks to see her beautiful green costume on her lap. She looks to her right to see Oliver standing there smiling. Diggle stood over by the computer station with Felicity; both of them were smiling as well.

"You're not serious right?" Artemis asks.

"Oh, I'm completely serious. Roy is taking the night off so its you and me kid." Oliver tells her. Artemis was so happy that she didn't even correct his usage of the word kid to describe her.

"This is so awesome!" She says popping up off of the floor. He wraps her arms around Oliver quickly before running off to go change, happiness in her step.

"I'm proud of you Oliver." Oliver turns to look over at Diggle. "I know it takes a lot for you to change your ways once you have something set in your mind."

"At least this way I can keep an eye on her." Oliver says.

"What brought this about?" Felicity questions.

"I guess I'm just seeing things in a different light."

Later that night, Artemis and Oliver stood on a rooftop, ready to go in. Sean Matthews sat at his desk, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.

"Okay, review, I'm going in first. You come in after. I'll take out the first string of guards in the office and then grab Matthews and you will lock the doors and keep an eye out for any other. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Artemis responds.

"Wait until you see me approach Matthews before you come in."

"I get it."

"And make sure you are holding onto the line securely."

"Yes, I will."

"And..."

"Oliver! This isn't my first time going after the bad guy, chill out." Artemis tells him. He rolls his eyes, but shoots the air into the building; a long cable attached to it was tied to a pole on the roof. Oliver grabs a pulley and leaps off of the roof, travelling the distance before smashing in through the window.

Artemis watches as Oliver makes quick work of the initial guards, knocking them all out instead of kill, like she requested. Once she sees him approaching Matthews, Artemis pulls out her own pulley piece, attaching it to the cable and holding on tight as she jumps off the roof.

The wind rushes past her as she zooms along the cable, through the window. She lets go of the pulley at the right time and summersaults into the office. She immediately shoots two blunt arrows at an approaching guard, knocking him out. She runs to the doors, shutting them tightly just as she hears more footsteps echo outside the door.

While Oliver interrogates Matthews, she cuts the cable, and pulls out the arrow. They had another escape route planned. Artemis walks away from the window, when she suddenly hears a familiar noise by the door. Oliver didn't hear it, but Artemis did.

"Get down!" She shouts, running over to the desk. She pulls Oliver down onto the floor as a volley of bullets is suddenly released, flying through the door, over Oliver and Artemis' heads.

"You do what you need to do?" He nods. "Let's go then." Before they could reload their machine guns, Artemis and Oliver take off for the window, jumping out just as the other guards break through the door. They each pull at strings attached to the packs on their backs, letting out small parachutes, as they drifted to the ground. Once they land, they each quickly cut the parachute lines and run towards the waiting car. They hop in and take off, just as the guards burst out of the window.

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^

"That was epic! It was so much fun!" Artemis proclaims from where she was sitting on the practice mat. The three adults look over at her with amusement.

"Something is clearly wrong with you if you find that fun." Felicity says jokingly, looking over at the girl from the top of her computer.

"Well it is fun. And are all of those people getting their money back?" Artemis asks.

"As we speak." Diggle responds.

"That makes it even more fun." Artemis responds. Diggle laughs.

"Welcome to the team." Diggle says, smiling.

"No, welcome to the family." Oliver corrects him. The smile on Artemis' face was one of the greatest things Oliver had ever seen.

**A/N: So that ends that. Artemis meets the important people in Starling City, the bond between Artemis and Oliver begins to grow, and Oliver accepts her place on the team. Thank you all for reading. Please review. Did you guys' like that? Was everyone in character? When we next see our favorite characters, Artemis will be starting school. That will be interesting. Until Next Week!**


	7. Chapter 4: The New Start

**A/N: What's new guys? So it is now September in the story. Artemis is about to start seventh grade. I made up a few characters for this story. I decided that Tommy should have a cousin who is Artemis' age. His name is Harry and there is also Jackson a scholarship student at the school. If anyone has any suggestions for more of Artemis' classmates, I would love to hear them! They could be canon, noncanon, or OC. I considered Cissie King-Jones, but since in Young Justice she is like six years younger then Artemis, I decided against it. So all suggestions are welcomed!**

**Enjoy!**

**The New Archer In Town**

_Chapter 4: The New Start_

"No." Artemis says, crossing her arms across her chest and staring at Oliver defiantly. He sat next to her in the car as it drove up the long driveway. "You can't make me."

"He's your legal guardian Arty, technically he can." Roy says, turning around from the front seat. Next to him, Diggle was driving the car and Felicity was on her laptop in the back seat.

"Don't call me Arty." Artemis says, glaring at the older boy. Roy just grins, and turns back around in his seat. "Please don't make me go Oliver."

"Sorry Artemis." Oliver says.

"This isn't fair. The rest of you get to go and have great time in Central City and I'm stuck here." Artemis states angrily. The car pulled up in front of the large school, The Starling City School of Excellence, SCSE for short. It was the best in Starling City.

"Sorry but you are required by law and you already missed the first two days because of your cracked rib from the last mission you went on." Oliver states, giving Artemis the look. The look pretty much was the look he gave Artemis when he wanted her to stop talking and just go with what he was saying. Artemis usually chose to ignore it.

"Still." Artemis says. "I want to go with you guys to Central."

"You're not coming, that is final. Laurel has volunteered to pick you up after school while we are away. Be good." Oliver tells her. A horn honks behind them. Angrily, Artemis glares at the occupants of the car one last time before stepping out. The window rolls down and Roy sticks his head out.

"See you in a few days Arty!" Roy shouts as the car pulls away. She gives him the finger, only earning her a laugh in return.

"Miss Crock." Artemis spun around to see a stern looking lady in about her fifties giving Artemis the evil eye. "You are new here so you probably don't know, but we do not look highly on such profane acts as the one you just preformed. Seeing as it is your first day though, I will let it pass. I am Miss Anderson, the principal."

Artemis just nods, mentally rolling her eyes. A few students had stopped to stare at the new seventh grader but she just ignored them. A few had the audacity to snicker at her.

"Come along now Miss Crock. I will get you your schedule." Miss Anderson says as she turns around and walks towards the building. Artemis follows behind her, glaring at anyone who dared to look at her.

She felt ridiculous in the green plaid skirt, white polo, white knee socks, and her black shoes. She wanted nothing more than to put on her Artemis costume and get out of this place. But she couldn't, Oliver had thrown her to the sharks. He was so going to pay.

After listening to the principal drone on and on for what felt like forever, she was finally handed a map and pointed in the direction of the seventh grade wing. Everyone else was in his or her second period classes by then, yet Artemis could hear voices coming from down the hall.

"Look, it's Jackson. Did your mommy drive you to school today and tuck in your shirt for you?" A voice taunts. Artemis finds the source of three against one. One boy shoved the smaller one.

"Oh look, he has a hole in his sweater. Could mommy not afford to patch it up?" The main boy says.

"A loser who can't even afford a sweater." On of the followers says.

"Hey!" Artemis shouts, drawing attention to her. "Three against one, those aren't very good odds."

"What are you going to do about it?" one of the boys asks. Artemis smirked to herself as she moved towards the boys who were laughing. The smallest one was huddled up against the wall, looking over at Artemis with awe. This day might have just gotten more interesting.

^^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^

"She'll be alright, right?" Oliver asks his team for the tenth time since they had gotten on the plane only an hour ago. Felicity, Roy, and Diggle all groan.

"Artemis will be fine Oliver." Felicity says.

"She's a good kid...for the most part." Diggle assures him. "I'm sure she will...uh...fit in nicely." Everyone laughs at that, everyone except Oliver.

"Stop worrying about Artemis, you can't do anything else about it. We should be thinking of a game plan." Roy states. Oliver turns and looks at Felicity. She nods, hooking her computer up to a projector on the plane.

"Robert Goode. He has been accused of being involved in several high profile heists across the world, including Starling City. After a failed heist in Istanbul in 2007, he disappeared. The diamond he was aiming for is on display for the first time since then in Central City. It is quite possible that he will show at this benefit tonight. CEO's and other multi billionaires are flying in from as fair away as Tokyo for this event." Felicity explains.

"Goode is a menace who must be stopped. It is believed that he has killed a total of seventy people. His reign of terror must be stopped." Oliver says. In the past few months, he had begun to take on more jobs outside of just his book. He was still going to take them all down to honor his father's memory, but his father would also want him doing what is right with the skills he has. "I will be attending the party with Diggle as my body guard. Roy you will be on perimeter and Felicity will be snuck in. You okay with a janitor's closet again as your base of operations?"

"Peachy." Felicity responds. "Just as long as there is no bleach. My hair smelled like that stuff for like two weeks afterwards."

"I'll see what I can do." Oliver says. His phone suddenly rings. "One second." He walks to another end of the room to answer the phone.

"Hello Mr. Queen, we are calling on behalf of Artemis Crock." The nasally voice of Principal Anderson says in the phone.

"Is everything alright?" He asks concerned. "Is Artemis hurt?"

"No, but she is in the office with us at the moment. She...uh...made an inappropriate comment to a classmate on her way to her class." The principal says. Oliver sighed heavily; he should have seen this coming.

"I am extremely sorry about Artemis." He states.

"Yes, well I see that she will be taking over the reserved seat for the Queens in the detention room. She will have one week of detention." Miss Anderson says.

"I am very sorry, can I talk to her?" Oliver asks.

"Yes, she is right here." Oliver waits a moment as the phone is passed to Artemis. He hears a door close and assumes that Miss Anderson has left the room.

"Hey Oliver." Artemis says casually in an almost flippant tone.

"Artemis." He states in a warning tone.

"I'm sorry Oliver but this one kid, Harry, was making fun of another kid, Jackson, about the fact that he was a scholarship kid and his uniform sweater had a hole in it. I stepped in and told Harry that he was a judgmental prick who was going to some day turn the world to shit with his judgmental air. I then commenced to kick him where it hurts when he laughed at me." Artemis explains. Oliver's stomach drops at the name Harry.

"Wait was this Harrison Merlyn?" Oliver asks. In his head he could picture Tommy's baby cousin at the age of two, following him and Tommy around the Merlyn's backyard at a cookout when they were young.

"Yeah, his is a prick and can go fuck himself."

"Language Artemis."

"Sorry, I just really don't like him." Artemis tells him.

"You've only known him for like two hours." Oliver says.

"Still, I can tell. He is an asshole." Artemis responds. Oliver sighs as he hears a door open again. "Looks like I got to go back to class. Have fun in Central City asshole." Artemis replies.

"I will." Oliver responds, shutting off his phone. He runs a hand through his hair and goes back over to join the other's in their seats.

"Who was that?" Diggle asks.

"Artemis got in trouble in school." Oliver declares.

"Yes! I win!" Roy proclaims gleefully. Oliver gives him a confused look, which became even more confused as Diggle pulled out a twenty from his wallet and handed it to Roy. After a moment, Felicity pulls out a twenty too, reluctantly handing it over to Roy.

"What is going on here?" Oliver asks.

"We had a bet on when Artemis would get sent to the office. I said before lunch on the first day, Diggle said after lunch on the first day, and Felicity said by the end of the first week. I win." Roy declares, pocketing the money.

"I can't believe you guys had a bet on Artemis getting in trouble...and didn't even think to include me." Oliver states. Everyone burst out into laughter.

^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^^

School sucks. Just like Artemis knew it would. She walked down the seventh grade hallway, following her map to the cafeteria, and people were whispering. She guessed word on what she said and did to Harry had gotten around. She took a turn down the eighth grade hallway. She was ambushed just before she was about to reach the cafeteria.

Harry appeared suddenly in the deserted hallway, accompanied by the same two boys, both who towered over Artemis. She just smirked. She had taken on way worse then the likes of them. She could easily have all three of them crying for their mothers in less then a minute.

"Well if it isn't Merlyn and crew." Artemis says, crossing her arms across her chest. "What do you want Merlyn?"  
"You made me look stupid." Harry says. He resembled Tommy Merlyn in so many ways. He had the same dark brown hair that almost looked black, the same green blue eyes, and the same smirk on his face. Of course, Artemis didn't know any of this. She just saw an annoying boy in front of her who stood two inches taller then her.

"Not hard to do." Artemis replies.

"Listen, you're new around here, but understand something, nobody messes with me." Harry informs her taking a step towards Artemis.

"How about you listen." Artemis says, stepping closer. "I could have done so much worse then just calling you a prick. I could think of several other interesting words that could describe you that would easily get me kicked out of this prissy school. I also know multiple ways to break every single bone in your body. So how about you don't mess with me."

"You'll pay for this Crock." Harry states.

"I'm so afraid." Artemis replies sarcastically. She walks away then, shoving one of the two boys standing behind Harry out of her way. He stumbled back, a surprised look on his face. Artemis was already entering the cafeteria, so she missed the death glare Harry was giving her.

Artemis pulled a brown paper bag out of her backpack as she looked for a place to sit. Spotting Jackson sitting at a table on the outskirts of the lunchroom, she made her way over to him. The middle schoolers had lunch first at SCSE followed by the high schoolers afterwards. She passed a few laughing eighth grade girls in skirts that were definitely not an approved length and a table of nerdy sixth grade boys on her way over to Jackson, who was hunched over a book. His glasses were pushed up to the brim of his nose and his curly brown hair was flying everywhere.

Artemis drops her bag onto the table, startling Jackson. He gave her a weird look as she took a seat, pulling out an apple. She took a bite, studying Jackson. He did the same.

"Whatcha reading?" She asks, taking another bite.

"Harry Potter." He responds.

"Huh...I'm pretty sure I've heard of that." Artemis says.

"How could you not?"

"I don't read."

"They've made movies out of it."

"I don't watch movies." The look Jackson gave Artemis was one of pure shock. She just laughed as she took another bite of her apple. "What's it about?"

"Wizards and magic."

"Sounds unrealistic." Artemis replies.

"Not really. I mean Zatara is a magician."

"Whose Zatara?" Artemis asks. Once again Jackson gives Artemis a look making it clear that he was wondering if she lived under a rock.

"A hero from New York who does some work with the Justice League." Jackson exclaims.

"Justice what?" Artemis asks.

"Do you live under a rock?"

"No. I just don't watch a lot of television or read the newspaper much. I only really watch one show that I started over the summer. What's the Justice League?" Artemis asks.

"Its this league of vigilantes that are forming together. They're superheroes and protect the Earth from danger. It's pretty recent, still in the planning stages in fact. There are only a few members now, but they are seeking more members." Jackson explains.

"Like the Starling City Vigilante?" Artemis questions, wondering why neither she nor Oliver or really any of them had heard of this superhero league yet.

"Yeah. That would be super cool if he joined. Some of the other heroes have sidekicks too, like how the Hood has Arsenal and Artemis." Jackson gets a funny look on his face. "You have the same name as Artemis."

Artemis waits for a second, hoping he doesn't make the connection.

"That is so cool." Jackson declares. Artemis lets out a small sigh of relief. "I have a question for you."

"Shoot."

"Why are you sitting with me? Nobody sits with me." Jackson states. Artemis laughs, finishing her apple.

"Just call me nobody then."

^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^

Oliver sat on his hotel bed, talking to Laurel on the phone. He was all dressed up and ready for the party. His concern at the moment was Artemis though.

"So everything was okay? Sorry you had to pick her up later." Oliver tells her. Laurel laughs bringing a smile to Oliver's face.

"Ollie, everything went fine. I'm used to waiting around for Queens to come out of detention by now." Laurel teases. Oliver laughs.

"I just hope tomorrow will go better for her. I should hopefully be back at five tomorrow and then I'll take you out to dinner." Oliver tells her.

"How sweet of you. Did you talk to Artemis yet?" Laurel asks.

"Yeah. She's busy talking with Diggle right now about some television show they both got into over the summer." Laurel laughs at that.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow Ollie." Laurel says. "Love you."

"Love you too." Oliver says, ending the call. There is a knock on his door and Oliver gets up to answer it. Diggle stood in the doorway, in his suit and ready to go as well. Felicity and Roy were there too in street clothes.

"Everyone ready?" Oliver asks. They all nod. "Alright then. Diggle?"

"Everything is in place." Diggle informs him.

"Excellent. The limo is waiting my friend." Turning to the other two. "You guys have your directions?"

"Right here." Roy says patting his pocket.

"Good." Oliver says, closing the door behind him as he began to walk down the hall.

"Diggle, do you see anything?" Oliver asks as he makes another wide circle around the diamond, sipping champagne and looking like he was having a good time. Diggle stood by the door with some other security guards, watching the party.

"Nothing." Diggle whispers into his comm unit as a reply. Oliver sighs and is about to say something else when a red haired woman cuts off his path with a cameraman.

"Oliver Queen, I'm Iris West-Allen with GBS. We are covering this function for a news piece. I would just like you ask you a few questions." Iris asks.

"It would be my honor." Oliver states, smiling.

"Wonderful. I was actually curious, just like most of the United States is, about how everything is with Starling City after the man made earthquakes a few months ago."

"It's been a tough few months but we are a tough city and are rebuilding." Oliver responds with a tight smile. Don't ask about Tommy, don't ask about Tommy, don't ask about Tommy.

"You lost a good friend in the event correct? Tommy Merlyn, the son of the man responsible for the catastrophe. How are you doing?" Iris asks. Oliver could see genuine sadness and curiosity in Iris' eyes.

"It's been tough. Tommy was like a brother to me and I had known him pretty much my whole life." Oliver says.

"And how has it been for your family? Your mother was part of Malcolm's intercircle that was responsible for the event." Iris waits for Oliver's response. Oliver pauses, collecting his thoughts when suddenly there was a crash and the sound of glass breaking as a group of people in all black broke through the windows suddenly. People screamed, running for the doors.

Oliver watched as the lead man, Robert Goode, stepped forward taking the diamond. He smirked to himself. The security guards were easily taken out by the five elite men that accompanied Goode. He laughed as he made his way back out the window he came in.

"Felicity." Oliver says as he makes his way to the back door, away from Iris West-Allen.

"I got eyes on him. Roy is waiting to follow their getaway vehicle." Felicity says.

"Diggle?"  
"I'm making my way towards Felicity."

"See you all on the other side." Oliver enters the deserted hallway, pulling his things out of a loose panel in the wall. It was show time.

Once he was ready, Oliver ran out of the building to the waiting motorcycle. Roy tossed him a helmet, already dressed in his red and black costume, various weapons attached to his motorcycle. Oliver hopped on his and they drove out of the alley, following in the direction that Felicity was directing them.

They weaved through cars and trucks as they pursued the van onto the highway. They were close and the occupants of the van had yet to notice them. Suddenly a red streak went pass them towards the van, followed by another, a smaller and yellow one. The blurs caught up to the van, the bigger one opening the driver's door. The van swerved and pulled off to the edge of the highway.

Oliver and Roy looked at each other in confusion as they approached the crashed van. A man in a red uniform with a yellow lightening bolt on it held the diamond, the thieves were all tied up, dazed expressions on their faces. A smaller boy in a yellow costume appeared suddenly.

"I alerted the police, they are on their way."

"Good job kid. That was a good first mission." The two had yet to notice Oliver and Roy.

"That was so awesome! When can we do it again?" The boy asks. The man shakes his head. His eyes find Oliver and Roy, both of whom had taken off their helmets. He eyed Oliver's hood and Roy's masked faces.

"The Starling City Vigilante and his sidekick, what a pleasure." The man in red says.

"Partner." Roy grumbles beside Oliver. Oliver elbows him.

"Who are you?" He asks.

"I'm Flash and this is my sidekick..."

"Kid Flash." The young boy says excitedly.

"We could have handled Goode." Oliver states. "This wasn't your problem."

"My city, my problem." Flash states.

"Why is everyone so possessive of their cities?" Oliver asks, not expecting an answer.

"I see you've met Batman." Flash replies, smiling. "I've had the pleasure to make his acquaintance as well."

"You never told me you met Batman?" Kid Flash asks in awe of his mentor.

"Story for another time." The Flash tells his sidekick. He turns back to Oliver. "Have you been approached by him recently as well?" Oliver looks over at Roy who is looking at him in confusion and nods.

"I've met him twice. Once in Gotham, and he approached me over the summer about this Justice League thing. Are you a member?"

"I've agreed to join." Flash says. "Have you?" Oliver shakes his head. Roy looks at him, still confused. Police sirens are heard in the distance.

"Looks like it is our time to go." Oliver says turning towards the bikes.

"If you're ever in Central again, we should team up." Flash simply says. Oliver and Roy make their way over to their bikes.

"Maybe." Oliver says, putting on his helmet. He and Roy ride off into the night, away from the two speedsters as the news and police men arrive. As they rode back to the hotel, he could still sense the looks of confusion coming from Roy. Looks like he was going to have to fess up to everyone.

**A/N: So what did you guys think? Like the guest appearance of Wally and Barry? I'll have a lot more members of the Justice League and the Team appears throughout this story as well. I'm making up how the Justice League formed as I go along, so I'm sorry if it doesn't follow canon or anything. So yeah, send me any ideas you guys have for classmates of Artemis. I would love to hear them. Please Review!**

**In the next chapter, how are Roy, Artemis, and the rest of the team going to react when they hear about Oliver's secret meeting with Batman? And what is Laurel up too...Find out next week!**


	8. Chapter 5: The Decision

**A/N: Hello everyone, it's Lia! **

**I'm happy you guys all seemed to like having Barry and Wally in the last chapter, don't worry, they will be appearing a lot more, especially in the future. I can't do a story about Artemis without having some sort of Spitfire in it:)**

**So I mentioned this in an earlier chapter, but I'm doing a story on Fictionpress with Punisher164. It would be really cool if one of you guys checks it out. It's called The Team and it's under the Action category. Anyone who likes Young Justice, Teen Titans, or the X-Men would like it. I have the URL posted on my bio. So...PLEASE check it out. **

**Anyways, back to the story. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Not a lot of action but there is definitely some disagreements and new developments. Also credit for Lori Anders goes to Awsomaniatica, I hope I portrayed her right.**

**The New Archer in Town**

_Chapter Five: The Decision_

"I can't believe you met with Batman without telling me!" Artemis declares unhappily. She crosses her arms across her chest and glares at Oliver across the basement. He sat on a table while she was sitting on the practice mats. Roy was cleaning some sort of weapon and Diggle and Felicity were over by the computers. Everyone was staring at Oliver.

"What she means is that you should have told all of us. Right Artemis?" Diggle asks. Artemis' frown deepens.

"I said I'm sorry. It was a month ago and it didn't seem like a big deal at the time." Oliver states.

"Still, how come we are only hearing about this now?" Felicity asks. "I mean we are a team." Oliver sighs as the rest of them nod.

"Are you going to join?" Roy questions. Oliver shrugs.

"I told him no, but I've been thinking about it. I don't know, it doesn't sound like a really bad idea." Oliver admits. "It might be kind of cool to hang out with other people like me, like us. People who understand about keeping secrets." Everyone nods.

Artemis thought it would be fun if he did. She could meet other sidekicks like Robin and Kid Flash. They would be like her, they could be her friends.

School had yet to get better for her, even after three days. She hung out with Jackson at lunch but the boy seemed almost afraid of her, as is everyone else in her school it seemed. Harry annoyed her everyday. It sucked. Plus, she hated the uniform. It would be nice to meet other kids like her, have friends like them.

"I'm still thinking about it." Oliver tells them. They all nod. Oliver changes the subject. "So, Roy, Artemis, why don't you guys suit up and we can go patrol."

"Sounds good." Roy, putting down the rag he had been using to clean the laser gun. Artemis nods, standing up and walking over to her area of the wall to grab her uniform. She walked away to go change and Roy walked in the other direction.

The younger members of the team gone, Oliver turns to Diggle and Felicity.

"What do you guys think?" Oliver asks.

"It could be nice, but Oliver, you're already keeping so many secrets. Do you think you could keep another?" Diggle asks.

"That was what stopped me from accepting originally." Oliver says.

"I think you should just go for it." Felicity states. Diggle and Oliver turn and look at her. "Seriously, you're already lying so much, what is a few more? This could be an amazing opportunity for all of us."

"I just, I already lie to Laurel, my mom, and Thea so much." Oliver states. "I don't want to have to lie to them even more by adding in all this Justice League stuff."

"Maybe its time to stop lying and just tell them." Felicity suggests. Oliver and Diggle give her incredulous looks. "I'm serious. Do you not trust them or something? I mean your mom was part of the Undertaking and all but in the end she did the right thing. You love Laurel right? And Thea is your sister and is dating Roy for crying out loud! Maybe the secrets were needed at first but they really aren't anymore. If you truly trust them, just tell them already! And Diggle," Felicity turns to Diggle. "Carly would understand. They would all understand, maybe not at first but they would eventually because these people that you are keeping secrets from, they love you. And I know they still will even if you tell them the truth for once."

Diggle and Oliver exchange looks. Felicity had a point, but Oliver knew he wasn't ready to tell them, not quite yet.

"But it's for their safety." Oliver argues.

"Really Oliver? Laurel has been attacked how many times? And it's not just because of you. There will always be danger for people; it's a fact of life. You not telling them that you are the vigilante isn't protecting them at all. It's protecting you." Felicity states. Oliver looks at her and she rolls her eyes. "Do I have to tell you everything Queen? You're so scared that if you tell them you are the Hood that they would reject you."

"Tommy did." Oliver says sadly. Felicity's face falls and Diggle stares down at his feet.

"I'm sorry Oliver, I didn't mean...I..."Felicity stumbles over her words, her confidence lost.

"Whose Tommy?" The three adults turn to look at Artemis. She had a confused look on her face. Roy had appeared as well and the three of them had noticed him either. Roy wasn't confused; he only had a sad look on his face. "Really, who is Tommy? I mean you said once that he was your best friend but just who is or was he?"

Artemis looked around at all of the sad adults and Roy in the basement. She had already conjectured that he was the boy in the picture with Laurel and Oliver from when they were in high school that was in Laurel's living room, but she didn't really know who he was and how he fit in. Well, besides being the best friend.

"Not now Artemis." Oliver states. Artemis opens her mouth to protest, but Oliver cuts her off. "I said not now." Oliver says in a harsh voice. He walks away, grabbing his hero costume as he went to go change. Artemis looked down at her feet, hurt. Why wouldn't anyone tell her?

^^^^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Laurel threw another punch that Ted Grant expertly deflected. Laurel sighed in frustration as she wound up and threw another punch, this one lower. Again, Ted blocked it.

"You're broadcasting your punches Laurel." Ted states. Laurel nods. She then makes it look like she is about to punch him, but alters her attack and sweeps his legs out from under him. Ted falls to the ground, laughing. Laurel leans down and gives him a hand up.

"Laurel, you know it's not nice to beat up your elders." Ted says jokingly. Sure the man was probably in his fifties or sixties, but he didn't look it. He was still physically fit and had most of his gray hair.

"You're not old Wildcat." Laurel says.

"Why thank you Black Canary." Ted replies as they walk away from the boxing ring in his gym. Ted had been training Laurel for years. He had known both of her parents and had started training Laurel when she was still in high school and her dad had thought that it would be a good idea for her to learn some self-defense.

"Ted..."Laurel trails off. He was the only one that knew her secret, which is why he had begun to call her Black Canary. He puts his hands up into the air.

"I know, I know. You hate the nickname. But work with me, I think it is good. It could be your hero name." Ted says. Nobody else was around, but Laurel still felt the urge to look around to make sure of it before turning back to Ted.

"I'm not about to become the next Starling City vigilante." She states.

"You could. What about that new team thingy...the Justice League. I'm sure they would like you." Ted suggests. Laurel laughs.

"As if." She replies. They stop in front of the girl's locker room. "Thanks for everything Ted. See you next week?"

"I'm counting on it. Work on your punches, you're going to need it. Plus we aren't done talking about this." Ted tells her. She rolls her eyes and pushes open the door, walking into the locker room.

Laurel was walking home from Wildcat Gym when she heard the rustling from behind her. The street was abandoned. She heard the rustling again. She spun around just in time to see a sketchy looking guy approaching her. She smiled to herself as he tried to grab her.

She responded with a swift kick to the gut. Doubled over, she kicked him again where it would hurt. She watched as he fell to the pavement.

"Wow, you weren't even a challenge." Laurel says, shaking her head. She turned and continued home to her apartment.

^^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"This place sucks." Artemis declares as she drops her brown paper bag at her usual place across from Jackson. He looked up from the current book he was reading and nodded. "Harry is such an annoying prick."

"You can say that again." Artemis and Jackson spin in their seats to see a girl standing near their table, carrying a tray of food. She wore the typical SCSE uniform but wear it looked awkward and uncomfortable on Artemis, it looked good on the girl. She had wavy auburn hair that went down to her shoulders. She had blue eyes that flitted around the room nervously.

"What do you want?" Artemis asks narrowing her eyes. She squirmed a bit.

"I just wanted to say hi. It was pretty impressive when you stood up to Harry. I'm Lori by the way." The girl says. She points to one of the many empty chairs at Jackson and Artemis' table. "Can I sit?"

"Be my guest." Artemis says. Jackson's eyes began to bug out; trying to comprehend why a third person was joining his old table of originally just one. Lori smiled, placing the tray on the table and taking a seat.

"Jackson right?" She says to Jackson. He simply nods, his eyes as big as saucers. Artemis rolls her eyes.

"Ignore him, he's not used to having company and has yet to learn some manners." Artemis says, kicking him in the shin under the table.

"Ow! What was that for?" Jackson asks, putting his book down on the table to rub his shin.

"You could be a little more polite." Artemis says.

"Says the girl with zero knowledge of manners, loves to piss off the teachers and swears quite often." Jackson replies. Artemis kicks him in the shin again.

"Would you quit that?" Jackson asks. Artemis just smirks as Lori giggles into her hands, trying to hide it but failing. Jackson's cheeks burn bright red.

"You guys are funny, way better then the other people I used to sit with." Lori states, pointing to a table of girls huddled together, gossiping and looking around the lunchroom. Every now and then one of them would laugh and flip their hair. Artemis makes a face.

"You sat with them?" Artemis asks incredulously. Lori shrugs.

"I've known them my whole life. Their dads were all businessmen with my dad before the whole scandal." Lori says, opening up her milk carton.

"Scandal?" Jackson asks curiously.

"Yeah, by dad is Samuel Anders. Last year the vigilante revealed the secrets he had been hiding. He had been embezzling money from his company to feed his underground fight ring. He's no better then a criminal. After it went public, my mom and I moved out and wanted nothing to do with him. She got a divorce and we got millions." Lori explains sadly.

"I'm sorry." Artemis says quietly. "Dad's suck."

"But you're living with Oliver Queen, he's a good guy for the most part. At least that's what I've heard." Lori states.

"He's not my real father, or even my adopted one. My real one sucks though, believe me." Artemis says quietly. The three of them were quiet for a moment until a grating and irritating voice was heard behind Artemis.

"Well look, I guess there are now the three losermigos." Harry says, his friends laugh. Lori and Artemis roll their eyes while Jackson looks terrified. Artemis spins around in her seat to face him.

"What do you want Merlyn?" Artemis asks, narrowing her eyes.

"Nothing with you Crock." Harry looks away from Artemis, his eyes landing on a terrified Jackson. "Why do you always have to have girls protecting you Jackson? I'm starting to wonder if you are even a guy at all." Jackson looks like he is about to cry. Before Artemis could say anything, Lori cuts in.

"All I see is two guys behind you Harry. At least we like Jackson. I don't see any girls falling over themselves for you." Lori responds. Harry looks at her flustered.

"There are plenty of girls who like me!" Harry states indignantly.

"Where are they then?" Artemis pretends to look under the table. "Harry's girlfriend, are you down here? Hello?" Lori and Jackson begin to laugh and even Harry's friends try to hide their chuckling. Harry looks furious.

"You...you..." Harry couldn't think of a reply.

"I bet you haven't even had your first kiss yet." Artemis responds. "I had mine when I was nine."

"This isn't the end Crock." Harry states.

"Bring it Merlyn." Artemis replies coolly. He and his friends stamp away over to their table. Artemis turns back to her friends.

"You guys don't have to stick up for me." Jackson says quietly.

"But we want to." Artemis says. "It's what friends are for."

"Did you really have your first kiss when you were nine?" Lori asks a few moments later. Artemis nods.

"He was eleven, our dad's did some business together. We were friends." Artemis says, nonchalantly. She quickly changes the subject and lunch continues on without any more incidents.

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^

It was late, or really early depending on how you looked at it. They had already taken down another name on the book that night. The numbers were drastically beginning to dwindle down. Oliver sat on his floor, staring out the large doors to his balcony. Should he join the Justice League? Is it really a good idea? Should he tell Laurel and Thea and his mom?

He had so many questions running through his head at once that he was beginning to get a headache. He couldn't go to sleep though. At least tomorrow is Saturday, or today is Saturday. Since hiring a new manager of the club, he had had less to do for it. One of those things had to be there every Saturday night. Now he only went once a month on Saturdays. It was nice to have the possibility of a night off if he ever decided not to go out and patrol.

It would also be helpful if he joined the League. He could be gone for a few days on a mission and not be worrying. He continued to stare out the window. His door creaked open behind him. Spinning around, he saw Artemis approaching in her pajamas.

"Hey kid." He didn't miss the look of annoyance he gave her. "What's up? Nightmare?" Artemis nods. "Come sit with me." Artemis walks over to him, taking a seat besides him.

"No screaming tonight, that's good." Oliver says. Artemis just nods. "You want to tell me what it was about? Was it another memory?" She shakes her head.

"It was my imagination of what happened the night my mom was paralyzed." Artemis says quietly. "They were running and both of them were going to be caught so my dad paralyzed my mom as a distraction. She was left alone in an alley and the police came." Oliver puts an arm around her shoulder.

"It was only a dream Artemis." Oliver assures her.

"I miss my mom." Artemis says quietly.

"I'm sorry Artemis. Maybe I can see if we can visit her some time, would you like that?" He asks her. She nods. "Good. I'll call Gotham Prison tomorrow." They lapse into silence for a few moments.

"I think you should join." Artemis says.

"You do?" Oliver asks. Artemis nods.

"Yeah. It's a lonely life being a hero. We have to keep secrets and keep ourselves away from others. Who better to understand that then other heroes?" Artemis argues. "Oliver, don't you want friends? A family?"

"I have a family." Oliver says, thinking of his mom and Thea.

"Another family, a family like you, like me." Artemis tells him. Oliver nods, what she was saying was making sense. "Plus, think of all the good you could do. You wouldn't just be helping the people of Starling City, you would be helping the people of the world."

Oliver lets that sink in for a moment. He pictures himself, Flash, and Batman taking on a whole drug cartel, ending a serious threat in Detroit. He sees himself and Artemis taking down a corrupt businessman in Florida, giving thousands of people their money back. He wouldn't just be helping the people of Starling City; he could do what he does best for so much more people.

"You're right Artemis." Oliver says.

"So you going to join?" Artemis asks.

"I think I will." Oliver replies. In the dark, he misses the wide smile on her face as she pictures herself with people like her. As awesome as Jackson and Lori are, it would be nice to have a place where she belongs, a family.

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^

Oliver dialed the number to what he sure was a non-traceable burner phone. He sat in a seat in the basement, his team surrounding him looking on with excitement and curiosity. After the second ring, the phone is answered.

"I see you changed your mind." The deep voice of Batman says.

"I have." Oliver responds. "When should we meet?"

"Not now. We are still working on our secret location. When it is done, I will call." Batman instructs. "Welcome to the team Starling City Vigilante." Oliver looked around his team, that morning Artemis had come up with a new name for him to be called once he is a more public figure.

"Call me Green Arrow."

**A/N: And Oliver is officially a member of the Justice League! Wow, where could their secret hideout be?:) Like I said, not a lot of action. There will be another short time skip in the future. I have an idea for the next chapter that involves Batman, be ready. **

**Also, after Batman, what other heroes would you guys like to see in the story? Post a review with your vote. We can have...**

***Barry and Wally show up again**

***Aquaman and Aqualad**

***Green Lantern**

***Another suggestion**

**Tell me whom you guys want to see and I will have them come in. Have an awesome week!**


	9. Chapter 6: The New Arrival

**A/N: OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! I got such a big response for the last chapter, it was so cool. I also sat down for the first time and planned out my chapters up until Artemis joins the Team. So, thanks guys and I promise that there will be some pretty epic chapters in the future!**

**You guys are also probably wondering why this is up on a Tuesday, well I am going to be really really busy for the next couple of days (I'm going to be stuck in a four day learning to teach sailing course for ten hours a day...bleh) so I am putting it up today. I figured you guys would like this better then just waiting until next Thursday. **

**So it seems the biggest response was for Green Lantern and flash and Kid Flash to show up, so as a thanks for all the reviews, ALL THREE OF THEM will be in this chapter! I decided to push the Batman chapter back a bit. Don't worry, he and Robin will be showing up very soon. Also, this will be the first and only time Wally and Artemis interact before she joins the Young Justice team. I'm sorry; their first meeting in the show is just too perfect. There will be plenty of spitfire in this story eventually as well as Oliver's opinion on it...**

**So I hope this chapter is good. I don't know a lot about the Green Lanterns, so I hope I portrayed Hal Jordan well. It is now November, so its been a few months since Oliver joined the League but they haven't all met each other yet or really done any league business yet. Anyway, on to the chapter!**

**The New Archer in Town**

_Chapter Six: The New Arrivals_

Artemis looked up from her drawing as the door to her history class opens up. One of the guidance counselors, Miss Franklin, walked in. Artemis sighed, and went back to her doodle. She was young, probably fresh out of college and had long dark brown hair and brown eyes. She handled the middle schoolers at SCSE while the other three guidance counselors handled the high schoolers. Now in her third month of school, Artemis had become quite familiar with Melissa Franklin.

For some reason, Miss Franklin had taken an interest in her. Artemis had no clue why, maybe it was because of her occupancy of the permanent Queen detention spot or maybe she was just really interested in Artemis for no particular reason. Artemis was pretty sure it was because she hoped to get a date with Oliver.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your lesson Mr. Nichols." Miss Franklin says to where the ancient teacher had previously been nodding off in his chair. Seriously, the guy gave them textbook pages to read and then took a nap. Usually after reading the pages, Artemis did homework or talked to Jackson since the two of them had the class together.

Miss Franklin's eyes scan the classroom until they find Artemis in the back, doodling a picture of Mr. Nichols with bug eyes. Besides her, Jackson was trying not to laugh.

"Artemis." She says. Artemis' head snapped back up, looking at Miss Franklin.

"Yes?" She asked politely, hiding her sketch in a page in her history book.

"Your shadow for the day is here. I thought I said to meet out in the front hall at nine. It is now nine-thirty and your shadow does not have anyone to follow around." All eyes were on Artemis questioningly. She was confused as well.

"Excuse me?" Artemis asks.

"The Central City exchange. Your name was on the sign up sheet and I announced when I told everyone about it to meet in the front hall at precisely nine o'clock." Miss Franklin admonishes, giving Artemis the evil eye.

"I never..." Artemis' eyes travel across the classroom to where she heard giggling. Sure enough, Harry was laughing softly with a triumphant smirk. Artemis was seriously going to kill that boy some day. "Miss Franklin, I can't have anyone following me around for a day."

"Then why did you sign up?"

"I didn't."

"Well your name is on the sheet and I have one student left." Miss Franklin states accusingly. Artemis looks over at Jackson who just shrugs. Artemis stands up, grumbling.

"Fine, let's meet the kid." Artemis says, walking to the front of the classroom. Miss Franklin smiles and leads her out the door. As Miss Franklin opens the door, they hear an umph.

Artemis looks at the kid on the ground curiously. He had red hair, freckles, and green eyes. As he stood up, Artemis noted that they were the same height. He was pretty scrawny too.

"So your my "shadow" or whatever?" Artemis asks, smirking.

"Yes, Artemis, meet Wallace West. Wallace, this is Artemis Crock. She is one of our newest Seventh graders here at SCSE." Miss Franklin introduces them.

"Pleasure to meet you. But, you can call me Wally." Wally responds politely. Artemis nods, staring over at Miss Franklin, wondering what she was supposed to be doing.

"Artemis, why don't you give Wally a tour around the school? I'm sure Mr. Nichols won't mind." Miss Franklin says.

"But all my stuff is still in there." Artemis protests. She did not want to walk around the school pointing out all the "interesting" things at SCSE.

"I'll tell Jackson to grab your stuff. You're friends with him right?" Miss Franklin asks, knowing the answer is a yes. Artemis nods. "Good. Now get going."

Miss Franklin walks back into the history class and Artemis turns to Wally. Both kids stare each other up and down, sizing the other up.

"Let's go ginger, we don't got all day." Artemis finally says, spinning around. Wally follows after her, the two walking side by side down the hallway.

"Original, I've never heard that before, Blondie." Wally says with a sarcastic eye roll.

"I would need one hundred hands to count how many times somebody has called me that." Artemis responds. She decided then and there that Wally wasn't that bad. Anyone who could hand back what she gave wasn't bad in her book.

"What kind of name is Wally anyway?" Artemis says as they turn down another hallway.

"My name. Aren't you supposed to be like, showing me around or something?" Wally asks.

"We're walking around the school, isn't this showing you around?" Artemis asks.

"Not really."

"Well, you're getting more than what I got. They handed me a map on my first day and sent me off." Artemis responds. She turns another corner as the walk past the cafeteria. "This is the cafeteria. We eat food here. Happy?" The boy's stomach growls loudly. "You hungry?"

"Starving." Wally replies, looking at the doors of the cafeteria longingly as they pass by.

"Did you not eat breakfast or something?" Artemis asks.

"No, I did."

"Then how are you hungry? It's only nine-thirtyish." Artemis says.

"I have a fast metabolism. I'm a runner, just like my uncle." Wally declares proudly. Artemis has to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"So you guys run as like uncle nephew bonding?" Artemis asks. Honestly, she didn't even really know if she had any aunts or uncles. Neither of her parents had ever talked about other family members. Artemis felt a stab in her gut at the thought. Something in her face must have showed her discomfort because Wally looks at her with concern.

"Are you alright?" He asks.

"Fine." Artemis says, curtly. She quickly pushes all thoughts of her family out of her face. "So you want to see the gym? Or walk down some more hallways?" The answer was an obvious yes to the gym.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^

"You're an idiot." Artemis states.

"I am a genius." Wally counters.

"No, you're an idiot." Artemis states as she brushed off more white chalky stuff from her uniform. Wally had thought that it would be fun to do some exploring through some of the equipment rooms in a back hallway in the gym. Since Artemis had nothing better planned, she went along. They ended up walking right into a giant bag of white chalky stuff used for marking the lines on the soccer, football, and other sports fields. "This was your plan Kid Idiot."

"Kid Idiot?" Wally asks in confusion.

"You're a kid and an idiot aren't you? You're an idiot in training. You're not worthy of the title of regular idiot." Both of them were covered in white powdery stuff, trying to wipe it off behind the bleachers in the gym.

"You're kind of mean." Wally tells her.

"I like to think of it as charm." Artemis deadpans. Wally just shrugs, wiping his right leg clean.

"Here, let me get your back charming." Wally offers. Artemis spins around and tries not to flinch as Wally wipes off her back.

"Spin around, I'll clean yours off and then we can got to lunch." Artemis begins to wipe off the back of his blue t-shirt.

"Finally, I'm starving. I think I might die." Artemis resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"I'm sure you won't die."

"I just might. Starvation is a really possibility."

"Yeah, if you haven't eaten for days." Artemis counters.

"Know-it-all." Artemis finishes brushing off Wally and moves to finish her legs. She was pretty sure she was supposed to bring Wally to one of her classes, but that might be after lunch. Hopefully its then, otherwise she might have to deal with the wrath of Miss Franklin again.

When they were both clean, they walk out from under the bleachers and head out of the gym to the cafeteria. They walked in silence, but they were both okay with it. It wasn't one of those awkward one. Once they entered the cafeteria, Artemis led him through the lunch line and then over to her table on the edge of the room.

"Wow, where are we going? Siberia?" Wally jokes as they continue to walk away from the lunch line. Artemis could already see Jackson and Lori in discussion about something. Over the past few months, the three of them had really become good friends. She didn't know what she would do without them.

Jackson and Lori are laughing when Artemis and Wally sit down. Lori is the first one of the two to recover.

"Who is this?" Lori questions, pointing at Wally. She looks at Artemis in confusion.

"I'm Wally." Wally says before Artemis could introduce him.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lori."

"I'm Jackson." Jackson says. Wally looks over at the book by his side.

"The Lightening Thief. That's a good book." Wally says. Jackson looks surprised.

"Yeah." Jackson says nervously. "I'm reading it for the sixth time."

"Jackson reads a lot." Lori says.

"And when she says a lot, she means a lot." Artemis says for emphasis. Jackson just shrugs and smiles.

"Books are cool."

"I totally agree. I'm a science nerd myself." Wally says proudly. "I even have a mini lab in my basement like my uncle's. He's a scientist too."

"That's cool." Lori says.

"Not as cool as you." Wally says looking over at Lori. Artemis and Jackson both try not to laugh as Lori's what the hell did you just say face came out. Both of them had been on the recieving end of the look many times and it was nice to see someone else getting it.

"What the hell did you just say? You are not trying to flirt with me are you?" Lori asks accusingly.

"I...I...um...no?" Wally offers. Lori just rolls her eyes.

"I just met you dude, lay off the flirting." Lori tells him. He just nods and Lori smiles. "Good."

"That was a horrible line too by the way." Jackson says with a smile.

"Like you know how to pick up girls." Wally says. Jackson just smiles as Lori changes the subject.

"So how old are you Wally?" Lori asks.

"I just turned thirteen a few days ago." Wally says.

"Cool. I just turned thirteen in October. Jackson's birthday is next month and Artemis is the baby, she doesn't turn thirteen until April." Lori says.

"I'm not a baby." Artemis states, pulling out her bag of cheerios. The others stare at the bag with amusement. "I love cheerios! They aren't just for babies. They are part of a well balanced diet."

"Whatever you say Artemis." Jackson says.

"I didn't even know they had cheerios at that fancy house of yours." Lori states. Artemis rolls her eyes.

"Fancy house?" Wally asks through a mouthful of pizza.

"Yeah. Artemis is the daughter of Oliver Queen." Jackson explains.

"I'm not his daughter. I just live with him." Artemis says. Wally just nods, unable to talk with all the food in his mouth.

"Wow. Do you even breath when you eat?" Lori asks. Wally just shrugs.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^

It had started out like any other day for Oliver, but it had quickly changed into one he would never forget. By afternoon, he was just doing some paperwork for Verdant, monitoring the news, and keeping track of the time for when he and Diggle would have to pick up Artemis. It was then that he heard a commotion coming from above the club.

Oliver looked over at Diggle, who shrugged. Diggle flipped on the news and sure enough, the first thing they saw was the source of their commotion.

"There has been an explosion at the Starling City Bank. First response teams our on their way, but at the moment, it seems nobody has been injured." A news reporter states. Oliver turns it off and moves to grab his stuff.

"Oliver, this could be nothing that you can control." Diggle says.

"Or it could be." Oliver counters, getting his stuff and walking away.

Oliver road his motorcycle quickly through the streets of Starling City. He parked it in an alley a block away from the bank and then climbed up a fire escape up onto the roof of the closest building. Black smoke billowed out from the location of the building. Oliver hopped from one rooftop to another, until he was on top of the building next to the bank.

Watching the bank, Olive soon spotted three figures exiting the premises. Behind them, were several robot monkeys, carrying jewelry and other objects.

"Will our sponsors be satisfied with this?" The short man with orangeish hair asks.

"Oh, they will be very happy." A man in a gray mask that Oliver recognized says. Anger courses through him as he spots Artemis' father. It was time to finish their battle from before.

Notching an arrow, Oliver shots an explosive arrow at the group. He quickly shoots another into the group and slides down. When the smoke clears, Oliver faces the three villains, two men and one girl with black hair and a large mask covering her whole face.

"Ah, the Starling City Vigilante." The short man says. Oliver noticed a remote control in his hand. "Looks like we have an intruder to our party."

"Come back for more archer?" Sportsmaster asks with a gruff laugh. Angrily, Oliver shoots another arrow that the man avoids. Sportsmaster throws a javelin at Oliver, which he ducks. The two men run at each other.

Oliver punches Sportsmaster in the gut, he counters with a punch to the face. They continue like this for a while, one would take a hit and the other would respond. Suddenly a knife is thrown between the two, separating them.

"I tire of your games. In case you haven't noticed, we still have to make a break for it Crusher." The girl says.

"You're not making a break for anything Cheshire." A voice says as a large green hand suddenly appears, slamming the girl into the wall.

"Green Lantern." The girl spits out the name, as a man appears in the alley in a black and green uniform. The green hand seemed to come out of a ring on his gloved finger.

"You call?" The man asks, appearing next to Oliver.

"Thanks for holding them up. The two of us have been tracking these three across the country." The Green man says to Oliver.

"Two?" Oliver asks, questioningly as Sportsmaster's fist flies at him. He ducks out of the way and a red blur suddenly appears, running between Oliver and Green Lantern, slamming right into Sportsmaster.

"Nice to see you again Hood." The Flash appeared in front of the two of them.

"Late as ever Flash." Green Lantern states.

"Hey, that's Kid Flash. He can't be on time for anything and he makes me late." The Flash defends.

"What a nice party." The three men turn to the short man. "Sorry I have to break it up." The robot monkeys that Oliver had spotted earlier appear in front of the three.

"You take the left, I'll take the right, and Hoodie boy can take the center ones." Flash says, running after his side. Green Lantern shrugs, running towards the monkey's on the left. Oliver faces the center ones, notching his arrow as they approach him.

He shoots an explosive arrow into the crowd of them, taking a step back. A few of them crumple and fall but not many. Oliver begins to pick them off one by one, using the pointy ones that Artemis had been stopping him from using. He took out about two thirds of them that way, but he eventually hit a wall, literally.

The first line of monkeys approached, jumping onto his legs. Oliver hit them away, using his bow. They went flying into the ground, and before they could get back up, Oliver would step on them, disabling them.

Oliver continued to use this method until his monkeys were all taken care of. He looked over at Green Lantern to see a green battering ram, hitting the last of the monkeys into a wall and Flash was tossing the last of his up into the air, and then running over to a trashcan to throw at them.

A force came running at him from the side, slamming him to the ground. Oliver looked up at Sportsmaster. He quickly kicked the man off of him, notching his bow.

"How's my baby girl doing by the way?" Sportsmaster asks laughing.

"She's fine. Better without you." Oliver states.

"That's what you think. I know my daughter; things are going to go bad, soon. I promise you this." Sportsmaster says.

"You don't know her as well as you think." Oliver says, releasing his arrow. It landed at Sportsmaster's feet.

"You missed. You're pathetic archer." Sportsmaster laughs. Oliver just smirks and watches as the capsule attached to the arrow opens and the high-density polyurethane foam was released, engulfing Sportsmaster's feet. He stares at it in confusion as Oliver releases another, encompassing the rest of him.

"Cheshire!" The man shrieks, looking around for the girl who seemed to have disappeared. Oliver spotted the other two getting a hold of the small man. "That little...Ivo!"

"Um...I'm a little busy Sportsmaster." Ivo says as a green box forms around him. Oliver walks away from him to the other two heroes.

"Nice work out there." Green Lantern says.

"Yeah, and I heard you agreed to the League. You'll be a great addition to the other seven of us who have agreed." Flash says.

"There are eight?" Oliver asks.

"Yep, you're lucky number eight. Besides the two of us, there is Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter." Green Lantern says.

"And we are still working on Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Zatara, and Captain Atom." Flash adds. "Plus we also have my sidekick, Batman's sidekick, and Aquaman's sidekick."

"Your the first addition to the founding seven of us. Welcome. The formal induction of the Justice League will be held soon. Batman or Superman will be in contact with you with more details." Green Lantern says.

"Well this saves a phone call for them." Flash says. "Since when did we become a messaging service?"

"I do not know." Green Lantern says laughing. Police cars suddenly appear in the alley. Oliver watches as Detective Lance appears with an annoyed look on his face.

"Well this is about to get interesting." Flash says.

"You can say that again." Oliver mumbles as Lance approaches.

"What is the meaning of this?" He asks in annoyance as the members of his squad approached the two apprehended criminals with confusion.

"Pleasure to meet you detective. I'm Green Lantern." The green man holds his hand out for Lance to shake. He does, reluctantly. "This is Flash. The two of us have been tracking the two of them across the country for about a week. There was a third, but she got away, the sneaky thief. Both of us are founding members of the Justice League."

"Oh yeah...that league." Lance says uneasily, he looks at Oliver. "What the hell are you doing here vigilante?" Oliver flips on his voice changer.

"Protecting my city like I vowed to do." Oliver says.

"Green Arrow here is the newest member league, or soon to be." Green Lantern says.

"Green Arrow? League? What the hell is going on here?" Detective Lance questions. Green Lantern just smiles and releases Ivo from his prison into the care of the police officers. They were also able to figure out how to move Sportsmaster. Oliver watched as the two villains were maneuvered into a waiting van.

"I decided on a new name, well my protégé did." Oliver says.

"Arsenal?" Flash asks.

"Actually..." Before Oliver could correct him, Lance interrupts.

"I don't really care who created it. I don't like this." Lance states.

"Detective, when was the last time I killed someone?" Lance looks flustered. "Exactly. I've turned over a new leaf I guess you could say. I've joined the league and am no longer a vigilante."

Lance looks like he is going to say something, but he closes his mouth and walks away. The other officer's follow getting into their cars and driving away.

"Friend of yours?" Flash asks jokingly.

"In the broadest of terms, maybe." Oliver responds. The three men laugh.

"It was a pleasure to work with you. I know we'll be seeing you real soon though." Green Lantern says with a smile, he begins to float in the air.

"Well, see you around GA." Flash says.

"Thanks for the help." Green Lantern says and with that, the two men leave. One running, the other flying. Oliver smiles. He could definitely get used to this.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^

"You know, you're not that bad." Wally says as Artemis walks him to the entrance of the school.

"You're not that bad either, I guess." Artemis responds.

"I had fun today." Wally says smiling.

"Yeah, me too." Artemis smiles as well. Wally stops, pulling out a scrap of paper from his pocket.

"Do you have a pencil?" Artemis grabs one out of the spare pocket of her backpack. Wally scribbles down an address on it.

"My parents haven't given me a cell phone yet, but this is my address. We could be like pen pals or something." Wally hands her the paper. Artemis smiles, placing it in the side pocket of her backpack. She grabs Wally's hand and scribbles the Queen's address on it.

"That's mine. I would love to be pen pals." Artemis says. Wally smiles widely.

"Awesome." They walk through the front doors. Artemis spots a group of kids not in uniform who were also from Wally's school.

"Well then, good bye Wallace." Artemis says.

"Good bye Charming." Wally replies, walking away to go join his group. Artemis smiles again, before turning to the line of cars. She spots Laurel's car and goes over to it.

"Hey, I thought Oliver was picking me up today?" Artemis asks.

"He got caught up with work stuff and asked me too." Laurel explains. The group of kids from Central City walks by the car. Wally spots Artemis and waves. She waves back.

"Who is that?" Laurel asks curiously, pulling away from the curb.

"A friend." Artemis replies.

**A/N: So what did you think? The next time the two of them will meet will be when Artemis is first introduced to the Team. But will she and Wally actually send letters to each other? Who knows. I hope you guys liked Green Lantern and Flash. I worked really hard on that fight scene since I am usually not the best at them. Review, tell me your thoughts. What else do you guys want to see in this story? I would love to know.**


	10. Chapter 7: The Reveal

**A/N: So a lot of you really want to see Laurel as Black Canary, well it just so happened that I had plans for her in this chapter. Thank you everyone for being patient. It is now December in the story. Despite it being like seventy degrees out, I wanted to do a Christmas Chapter. Merry June Christmas everyone.**

**This is a short chapter, I have to admit, and it was a bit hard to write. I hope it isn't too horrendous. I have an important authors note at the end of this chapter, so please read it. And don't forget to review!**

**The New Archer in Town**

_Chapter 7: The Reveal_

Artemis woke up that morning with a sense of excitement. She hastily grabbed a sweatshirt and threw it on over her ratty t-shirt and she slipped into her slippers and ran out of her room. She passed Thea along the way of her quest to get to the living room.

"Morning Thea, Merry Christmas." Artemis says. Thea barely manages to lift her arm up in greeting.

"Need coffee." She mumbles. Artemis continues down the hallway to the staircase. She slides down the banister, frightening Moira Queen who was in the front hall talking on her cell phone. She ends her business call and turns to look at Artemis.

"Merry Christmas Moira." The two had gotten close enough to be on a first name basis in the six months that Artemis had been living with them. Moira smiles, checking her watch.

"Wow, I haven't had such an excited child in this house for Christmas in years." Moira says with a gentle smile. Artemis beams.

"How could you not be excited? It's Christmas!" Artemis declares, running out of the front hallway. She enters the living room and stares in shock at the pile of presents under the tree. Growing up in Gotham, she was lucky if there were three or four presents for her and Jade. After her mother was sent to jail and Jade left, she was lucky if her father even acknowledged the fact that it was Christmas.

Large hands suddenly cover her eyes. On instinct, she reaches back, grabbing their wrist and twisting, not hard enough to break, but enough for her to escape.

"Geesh Artemis." Oliver's voice says. Artemis spins around to see Oliver cradling his arm. "Did you just break my wrist?"

"No, I bruised. Don't sneak up on me." Artemis states simply, but she couldn't wipe the stupid grin off of her face.

"Noted." Oliver states, before smiling. "Merry Christmas Artemis." Artemis beamed.

"Merry Christmas Oliver." Artemis responds.

"So breakfast or presents first? My mom said you get to decide." Oliver tells her. Artemis thinks for a moment.

"Presents first." She states excitedly. Oliver laughs.

"Should have seen that coming." Oliver responds. Artemis runs over to the tree, locating a pile with her name written on the boxes. Thea entered the room a few moments later, coffee in hand.

"Merry Christmas guys." Thea says.

"Same to you Speedy." Oliver responds with a grin. Thea rolls her eyes.

"Hoe many times do I have to tell you, I'm not twelve anymore. Call Artemis speedy or something." Thea replies. Moira enters the living room, taking a seat on the couch.

"So who is opening presents first?" Moira asks. Everyone looks at Artemis.

"What?" Artemis asks.

"Generally we have the youngest in the family open all their presents first." Moira explains.

"It used to drive Ollie insane." Thea states.

"Only because you gloated." Oliver shoots back. Artemis just grinned. She hadn't been this happy on Christmas in a long time. Artemis reached over and picked up a box feeling like the happiest girl in the world.

An hour later, Artemis had acquired a cell phone, some new clothes, a necklace with an arrow charm on it, a few movies, and a DVD player for her room. Overall, Artemis was very happy with it. She had even put on the arrow necklace from Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity.

As soon as everyone was done with their presents, they went into the kitchen and ate brunch since it was a little late for breakfast and early for lunch. Artemis listened attentively to the stories the three family members shared. Artemis hoped that next year; she would have funny stories to contribute.

She hadn't realized it, but the Queen's had become her family. She had begun to consider herself more Queen then Crock. She got along well with everyone, even Moira. She had friends at school and she was a hero. This was perfection.

^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^

That night, Artemis sat at her desk writing a letter. She had received her first letter from Wally a week ago. She had his letter in a draw of her desk. Tapping her pencil against the top of her desk, she tried to figure out what to write to Wally.

_Dear Wallace,_

_ Merry Christmas...well you'll probably get this later but I'm writing this on Christmas. Did you have a good holiday? Or, if you don't celebrate Christmas did you have a good Hanukkah? Kwanza? Hey maybe you'll get this by New Years so Happy New Years Wallace._

_ I'm glad to hear that the rest of your trip to Starling City went well. _

Artemis looked up when she heard a knocking on her door. She spun around in her chair to see Oliver in the doorway.

"Hey Oliver." She said. He smiled and walked into the room, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

"What are you up to Artemis?" Oliver asks.

"Writing a letter to my pen pal." She states.

"You have a pen pal? Since when?" Oliver asks confused.

"Since stupid Harry Merlyn signed me up without my knowledge to give one of the kids from a group from Central City visiting Starling a tour. He actually ended up pretty cool."

"He?" Oliver questioned.

"Yep. Wally. I guess we are sort of friends." Artemis tells him. Oliver thinks carefully for a moment. He wasn't quite sure what to think of this. For now he decided to just let it slide. He changed the subject.

"You really don't like Harry Merlyn do you?" Oliver asks. Artemis shakes her head.

"No offense, I know you and his cousin were like best friends and all, but he is an asshole." Artemis states. "You know, I still don't know what really happened with Tommy Merlyn? Laurel always looks like she is going to cry when I bring him up though."

Oliver sighed. "Tommy and I had been best friends for years. He started dating Laurel a few months after I got back from the island. I was happy for them; I was still busy with the book. Long story short, Tommy found out. It put a big wedge between us that only grew when Laurel and I got together again after they broke up.

When Tommy's father Malcolm began his destruction of the glades, Laurel was still working in her office. We managed to diffuse one of the machines but not the other. Laurel was trapped in her work building and Tommy saved her, but it ended up costing him his life. I arrived to late.

I miss him a lot. Things had been rough between us ever since my return. If I could go back and change anything in my life, I would save Tommy." Oliver tells her.

"I'm sorry Oliver, that really sucks." Oliver couldn't help but give a small sad chuckle.

"It does." Oliver says, before changing the subject again. "I'm going to head out to do a bit of patrolling."

"Want me to come?" Artemis asks. Olive shakes his head.

"Take a holiday Artemis. Finish your letter." Oliver tells her. For once Artemis didn't argue.

"Alright. You taking anyone?" Artemis asks.

"Nope. Roy and Thea are hanging out together and Felicity and Diggle are both with their families." Oliver says. "Don't worry though, I'll be fine."

"Okay. Be safe." Artemis demands.

"I will." Oliver stands up, smiling at the young girl. "Merry Christmas Artemis."

"Merry Christmas Ollie."

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^

The event that changed Oliver's life forever occurred that evening. Oliver had been up on the top of a building when he heard a scream. Shooting an arrow down, Oliver zip lined into an alley to find a group of seven men had cornered a man and woman and their young daughter. It made his blood boil.

With the attention of the men now on him, the young family bolted out of the alley. Oliver smiled as he notched a blunt arrow and shot it at the closest man. The man was pushed backwards into another, both of them falling to the ground in a heap.

Oliver shot a net arrow around another two men when they got close. After that, he relied on himself as they got to close in range. He punched an approaching man, well over three inches taller than Oliver, in the face, and then sweeped out his legs from under him. Another man, Oliver punched hard in the gut, before recieving a blow in his own.

Swinging his bow like a sword, he slammed a one of them men who had gotten up into a wall, successfully knocking him out. While taking care of six of them, Oliver had failed to notice the seventh one take out a gun. Picking up a man off of the ground and throwing him into the wall, he suddenly heard a loud and piercing scream.

Oliver fell to the ground with his hands over his ears. His hood fell away, revealing his face. Luckily, all seven of the men were knocked out, leaving Oliver confused to who could have made the piercing scream.

"Oliver?" He heard a familiar voice question. He managed to roll over onto his back and see a masked girl in a black strapless leotard, blue jacket, fishnets and black boots. She wore a simple black mask.

"How did you do that? How do you know my name?" Oliver asks still a bit disoriented.

"You're the vigilante?" The woman asks.

"I go by Green Arrow nowadays." Oliver responds, beginning to recover. "Now who are you?"

"Black Canary." The woman says. "You know me by a different name though." She takes off her mask and Oliver realizes that the woman was Laurel.

"Laurel?" Oliver questions. She nods, looking at Oliver in confusion.

"All this time you've been the vigilante...Why didn't you ever tell me?" Anger crosses Laurel's face. She reaches out and slaps him. "Seriously Ollie? We've been dating for almost a year and have known each other even longer. Did you not trust me or something?"

Oliver sighed, he should have listened to Felicity and just told them. "No, its not that...Tommy found out and it pretty much ruined our friendship. I didn't want it to ruin us too."

"You still should have told me." Laurel says, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I know. I was afraid." Oliver tells her honestly. "Come on, let's get off the street, I'll answer more of your questions at my base of operations."

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^

"So this guy, Slade, and this girl, Shado, trained you on the island which was not deserted but the base of secret operations?" Laurel asks. "Did I get that right?"

"Yes you did." Oliver says walking over to her and handing her a cup of coffee. They were situated at a table below the nightclub. Diggle had got a coffee maker for the place after he realized how many late nights they spent there.

"I can't believe it. You're father gave you this notebook?" Laurel holds the book up to the light. Oliver nods.

"Wow, that is...that's really something." Laurel manages to get out.

"Now about you? That scream..." Oliver trails off. Laurel blushes slightly.

Honestly, I don't know much about it either. It just kind of showed up a few months ago. I was walking around my apartment and I stubbed my toe but when I cried out it was...you know." Laurel explains. "I think it might be genetic, but I don't know. My mom hasn't been getting back to me. I guess it kind of explains the whole pet canary thing."

"Well it is really something. When did you decide to become a hero?" Oliver asks.

"My trainer at Wildcat gym actually convinced me. He was apparently part of this really old hero squad back in like the fifties and sixties. He heard my canary cry and convinced me." Laurel says. "I've only really done a little bit of patrolling, but I like it. It's like being a lawyer, it feels good to bring the bad guys to justice."

Oliver nods. "I know the feeling."

"So I have a question, is Artemis well Artemis? Who's Arsenal?" Laurel questions.

"Yes Artemis is Artemis and Roy Harper is Arsenal." Oliver explains.

"So wait, was Artemis an archer before you met her or after?" Laurel asks.

"Before. She was a minor hero in Gotham City except she was supposed to be a villain. Her father is one. She helped me on my mission in Gotham, Sportsmaster found out, and well...I volunteered to take her in."

"I guess it is a good thing you found her then." Laurel says.

"It really is." Oliver says in agreement.

"So can I join this little arrow squad now?" Laurel questions. Oliver smiles.

"I would like nothing better." Oliver tells her.

"Thank you Ollie and Merry Christmas." Laurel says leaning over and kissing Oliver.

"Hey, there was no mistletoe." Oliver states. Laurel just smiles and the two kiss again.

**A/N: So Black Canary is apart of the Arrow Team.**

** So just like I did with asking you guys what other heroes you wanted, I have another question for you guys, two actually. The first one is that I would like to have somebody for Felicity to be with. It can be a person who is apart of the Justice League, some non-canon member, or even an OC. My only request is that if it is an OC, please give me a description about them. I figured that now that Oliver has joined the league, Felicity could be like a tech girl or something for the league.**

** The next question is that I also think it would be cool if Diggle was like a partial member of the Justice League. I am really bad at coming up with codenames, so if you guys can think of one for him and tell me, that would be great. I would totally give you credit if I use it too. **

** So yeah, please review, I would really like to know what you guys think.**


	11. Chapter 8: The Intruder

**A/N: Happy Independence day for all my fellow American readers, hope everyone is having an awesome holiday!**

** Thank you guys for making this story over 100 reviews! Shout out to Awesomnatica who was the 100th reviewer. Thank you everyone for your awesome suggestions. I think I have a pretty good idea of what I am going to do when they join the Justice League officially next chapter.**

** So here it is, the Batman chapter. It is now April in this story. The time skips are going to get larger to speed up a bit to Artemis' joining of the Team. I have a lot of plans for when that happens. Also, they never mentioned Artemis' birthday in the show, or if they did, I never noticed it, so her birthday is April 18. Just wanted to let you know since this chapter is her birthday and all. **

**The New Archer**

_Chapter 8: The Intruder_

"Happy Birthday Artemis." Moira says looking up from the newspaper. She smiled at the newly thirteen-year-old girl. Artemis smiled.

"Thanks Moira." She said.

"Ollie had to quickly run up to his room to grab something, you just missed him." Moira says.

"That's alright." Artemis says taking her usual seat at the counter in the kitchen. Thea walks into the kitchen, carrying a cupcake.

"Happy Birthday Artemis." Thea says, handing her the cupcake. Artemis beamed.

"Thanks Thea." Artemis replied, taking a bite of the cupcake.

"How does it feel to be a teenager?" Thea asks her.

"The same." Artemis says shrugging. She took another bite of her cupcake, getting frosting on her nose. The three of them laugh as Artemis wipes it away. She puts the cupcake down as Oliver walks into the kitchen.

"Hey, you're already down here." Oliver says surprised.

"I have to leave for school in ten minutes." Artemis responds.

"Oh yeah. You probably shouldn't skip like I used to do on my birthday." Oliver says sheepishly.

"Oliver!" Moira says in surprise.

"You seriously didn't know mom?" Thea asks. Moira mumbles something that sounded like "I chose to ignore it." Everyone laughed.

"Anyway, I know we chose to do presents later but I couldn't wait for this one." Oliver pulls out an envelope and hands it to Artemis. She gives him a look but opens it up anyway. As she was opening it, Diggle walked into the kitchen. He smiled at the girl, knowing what the present was.

Artemis pulled out a few pieces of paper out of the envelope. On top of the first paper read adoption form. Artemis looked over at Oliver in confusion.

"Is this what I think it is?" Artemis asks. Everyone in the room nods, smiling. "You really want to adopt me Oliver?"  
He nodded. "I have no plans of you leaving here anytime soon. I figured you could be here officially."

"This is awesome, but I'm not ready to call you dad or anything." Artemis tells him. Everyone in the room laughs, even Oliver.

"I wasn't expecting it. I'm not about to start calling you my daughter yet either. Nice to see we are on the same page." Artemis got up and hugged Oliver.

"Thank you." She said.

"Not a problem Artemis." Oliver says, hugging her back. "Now, you should probably be leaving if you don't want to be late for school."

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^

"The baby of our group is growing up! I am so proud." Lori says as she takes a seat besides Jackson at their lunch table. Artemis threw one of her fries at her.

"I'm only like four months younger then Jackson." Artemis states.

"Hey, don't bring me into this." Jackson tells them. All three of them laugh. The three of them had become almost inseparable. Even Jackson had begun to open up.

"Whatever." Artemis says rolling her eyes. They hear loud obnoxious laughing coming from Harry's table across the lunchroom. "I really can't stand them."

"Harry's not that bad when he is alone." Lori says, defending him. Jackson and Artemis stare at her open mouthed. "What? Did I grow a second head or something?"

"Your defending Harry Merlyn." Jackson says in disbelief.

"Who are you and what happened to Lori?" Artemis asks. She shrugs.

"We had to do a history project together. He was actually pretty nice when no one else is around."

"To bad whenever he sees me other people tend to be around." Jackson says, gloomily, looking down at his soup. The current book he was reading was closed and placed besides him. Artemis felt so bad for her friend that she couldn't help reaching across and patting him on the back.

"Don't worry Jackson, that's why I'm there." Artemis assures him. Jackson nods, putting a smile on his face. Lori sighs.

"You have a point Jacks." Lori says. She quickly changes the subject.

"So have you gotten anything for your birthday yet?" She asks Artemis. Artemis gives her a funny look but then tells her friends about the adoption papers.

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^

Artemis and Oliver sat atop the roof, watching the people pass below. It was a clear night, a peaceful one. They had found nothing to intervene in during the two hours they had been out there.

"Well this is an exciting way to spend your birthday." Oliver says. Artemis just smiles.

"I don't mind. I just like patrolling." Artemis says.

"So I guess you're a teenager now."

"I'm your teenager now." Artemis remarks. The two smile at each other until an explosion comes from a bank down the street. Oliver and Artemis were up within seconds, sprinting across the rooftop and jumping to another as they raced towards the bank.

"Why do people keep targeting this bank?" Oliver questions, jumping onto another roof.

"Beats me." Artemis replies.

"Felicity, you got anything?" Oliver asks her.

"I'm checking." Felicity responds. "Nope."

"You two need back up?" Diggle asks.

"We should be okay. But be ready just in case. Call up Roy as well to let him know what's going on." Oliver dictates.

"Got it Oliver." Felicity says. Oliver and Artemis approach the edge of the rooftop overlooking the bank. A person in a purple suit and green hair was walking away from the scene, laughing and carrying bags of money. Oliver and Artemis exchange a look, both of them on the same page. Oliver climbs down from the roof to the fire escape while Artemis moves around to another side to sneak up from behind.

"I don't believe that that belongs to you." Oliver says, leaning over the edge of the fire escape. He shoots an arrow, releasing a net. In a blink of an eye, the person had a knife in their hand, cutting through the approaching net. The person spun around. Their face was covered in badly done clown make up. "Who are you?"  
Oliver watches as a sick smile spreads across his face. Oliver ducks as a knife is thrown at him. He leaps over the fire escape, landing on the ground, an arrow notched.

"Who am I?" The man continues to laugh like a maniac. "It has been so long since I've been under the radar. What a relief, no bats to ruin the party."

"Gotham." Oliver simply remarks.

"Yes, I am from there. The name is Joker." The man pulls out a crow bar. "And you are Green Arrow." He then runs at Oliver, swinging the crowbar in the air. Oliver ducks out of the way, and counters with slamming his bow into his face.

"That was not very nice." The Joker says, stepping back and pulling out a deck of playing cards. Oliver realized a second to late that they had razor blades on them as he threw them at Oliver and one cut him on the shoulder. Oliver grasped his shoulder and ducked out of the way of other approaching cards.

He then had to duck as the man ran at him with a crowbar again. Oliver ducked and then spun around him, kicking him from behind. While the man was on the ground, he kicked him in the gut. The Joker grabbed his leg though and pushed him away. Oliver quickly picked himself back up, grabbing his bow.

Oliver notched an explosive arrow, launching it at the man to distract him. Oliver took a few steps back, listening to the maniacal laughter of the crazy man.

"Oh a firework display, how nice." The Joker stepped out from the explosion, waving the smoke away like it was nothing. The Joker was focused on Oliver and did not notice Artemis sneaking up behind him. Or so they thought.

Artemis swung her leg around to kick him in the back of the head, but the Joker spun around grabbing her ankle. Artemis looked at him in surprise.

"Well hello dearie." He drops her ankle and spins her around, until she was up close and he held a knife under her throat. Artemis' eyes widened as she looked at Oliver helplessly.

"Put the knife down." Oliver says.

"Put away your toy." Joker responds. Oliver reluctantly lowered his bow.

"Oliver, what's going on?" Felicity asked through the comm unit. Oliver ground his teeth together, staring down the crazy clown man with the white face and green hair.

"She's just a child, let her go." Oliver said trying to reason with the madman even though he already knew it was useless. He couldn't just stand by and let him her his...sidekick. The Joker laughed.

"Eh...no." The next thing Oliver knew he had a dart sticking in him and he was beginning to laugh. "Joker venom. You should be dead soon. Me and your sidekick will have some fun." Oliver fell to the ground, laughing, watching helplessly as Artemis struggled.

"Put me down! Let me go! Arrow! Ol-" Artemis was knocked unconscious by Joker's fist.

"Bye now Arrow." With that, Oliver watched, still laughing, as the Joker ran off with Artemis as his eyes began to close.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^

"Why hasn't he woken up yet? The antidote should have taken its course by now." A young voice asked. All Oliver could see was darkness. He groaned. His whole body ached.

"Shush, Robin, he's coming too." A deeper male voice scolded. Oliver recognized the voice; he had talked to him many times over the phone in the past few months.

Oliver's eyes flickered open and he looked around the room. He was in a hotel room, a pretty nice one at that. In front of him were Robin and Batman.

"He's up." Robin notes.

"I can see that Robin." Batman says to his sidekick. "Why don't you go get him some water?" Robin nods and walks off. Batman turns to Oliver. "How are you feeling Arrow?"  
"Artemis." He simply states. Robin, returning with the water gives Oliver a funny look.

"Artemis? Don't you mean Tigress? Artemis is her real name." Robin asks curiously. Batman sighs.

"She changed her hero name." Batman tells the young boy.

"Oh." Robin simply states.

"How do you know her real name? Do you know mine?" Oliver asks curiously. Batman nods. "How?"

"I know everything, I'm Batman." He simply says. Robin nods.

"We know a lot of stuff. The bat cave is full of information."

"Back to Artemis. Where is she?" Oliver demands. Batman and Robin exchange looks.

"The Joker has her." Robin says seriously, all joking to him gone.

"Who is he?" Oliver asks.

"An insane Gotham villain. We heard reports that he was casing a few places out here, we followed him but weren't quick enough. I am sorry." Batman says a hint of sorrow in his normal monotone voice.

"So a madman has my... sidekick." Oliver says in disbelief. "We need to find him and kill him."  
"No killing." Batman states.

"He kidnapped my sidekick!" Oliver exclaims, sitting up quickly. He put his head in his hands to subside the whiplash. "We need to get her back and make him pay."

"He will, in jail." Batman tells him.

"Listen Bats, this is my sidekick. We are getting her back no matter the cost." Oliver states defiantly.

"I know you are distressed, I would be the same if it was Robin, but we can't kill. You are a part of the Justice League now Oliver, you can't run around killing people. It's not what we do."

"You know my name."

"Were you not listening earlier when I said he knows everything?" Robin asks. Oliver glares at him and the little boy shrugs. "We'll get her back, don't you worry."

Oliver sighed, staring at the ground. The idea of Artemis in the clutches of a crazy man was making his skin itch and giving him the urge to punch something. A thought suddenly occurred to him.

"My team..." He trails off.

"We have alerted John Diggle, Felicity Smoak, and Roy Harper about the predicament. They are also contacting another member of your team, Black Canary. They are on their way over to discuss our best plan of action. We will get her back Oliver, I promise." Batman says. Oliver looks away from the man and stares out a nearby window, wondering where Artemis was and if she was okay.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^

Artemis woke up with a pounding headache. Almost immediately she realized that her hands were bound behind her and she was tied to a chair. Her training set in soon after that. She took in all the details.

The room was bear, no windows, gray walls and wooden floors, slightly cracked. It was probably pretty old. There was one door, so one escape route. Wiggling her hands and her ankles, she realized the knots were tied pretty well but with some more movements she might be able to jiggle them loose. Hopefully.

She was in the mist of rubbing her hands rapidly back and forth when she heard the doorknob begin to turn. Immediately she stopped and closed her eyes pretending to be asleep. Listening to the footsteps near closer to her, her heartbeat picked up and began to beat faster.

An electric pulse resounded throughout her body, jolting her eyes awake. She looked up at the Joker to see what looked a bit like a joy buzzer in his hand.

"Oh goodie, you're awake. Now we can have some fun." The crazy man says. Artemis gulped, fear running through her as the man approached.

"Oliver where are you?" She thought quietly.

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^

"So is everyone clear on the plan?" Oliver asked. Everyone nods. "I'm going to review it anyway. This is Artemis, everyone needs to be at their best." Pointing to a map, Oliver begins.

"Diggle, you will be checking all motels. Most are in the glades, but several are not. Felicity has complied a list of ones with recent check ins. You will go to those ones first and then the others." Diggle nods, a somber look on his face.

"Harper, you got the Glades. You know it better then the rest of us. Any place you think someone could be kept, check." Roy nods.

"Batman, you know this man the most. You and Robin will have the most access to Felicity since she knows the city. Study this map and go wherever you think he could be."

"Black Canary will be checking the main parts of Starling City." Laurel nods at that, looking determined.

"I will be checking any sort of abandoned building that I can think of. Felicity has given me a list. We have three hours before sunrise, I want her found before then." Oliver finishes and everyone nods and files out of the hotel room.

Oliver left anther empty warehouse by the wharf empty handed. He angrily kicked an empty crate when he looked out and saw the sun beginning to rise. He knew that they were mainly people of the night, but Oliver wasn't about to stop looking. He would look for days straight, until he had torn up every building in Starling City if he had to.

"Arsenal to Arrow, I think I found something." Roy's voice said over the comm unit.

"What are you waiting for, spill Harper." Oliver demanded.

"A few informers of mine told me they spotted movement in an old apartment complex that was abandoned a few months ago do to building code violations." Roy said. "It's pretty close to my location."

"That sounds like somewhere he would hide out." Batman's voice said. "Robin and I are also close to your location, we will head over as well."

"I'll be there as soon as possible." Oliver said as he began to sprint away.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^

"Come on Blondie, our game isn't done yet." Joker states. Artemis narrowed her eyes at him. He had long since placed a piece of cloth over her mouth to keep her from making her usual snarky comments. She could still glare though.

In front of them was a table with a set of cards. They had been playing some card game that Artemis didn't know. She refused to play along, so she didn't know very much what was going on.

"Make your move." Joker demanded. Artemis shook her head defiantly, continuing to wiggle her hands around behind her chair. She could feel her bonds beginning to loosen. "No? You'll regret it."

The Joker stood up suddenly and backhanded Artemis clear across the face, the force causing her seat to topple over. He cheek stung and tears came to her eyes. It wasn't the worst that had happened to her since her capture, but it still her. Artemis watched as the gash on her thigh began to bleed again on contact with the ground. At least he kept her mask on.

"Now," Joker sets up her chair again. "Make your move." Artemis couldn't do anything with her hands tied behind her back. Planting her feet on the ground, which were still bound together, Artemis launched herself forward, knocking over the table.

"You little..." The Joker stood up and pushed Artemis' chair to the ground again. He kicked her hard in the gut. Both her head and her stomach rattled from the force of the fall and the kick.

"I thought you would be fun. Turns out your even less fun than Bats! Maybe I should just kill you. You're hardly worth the trouble." The Joker states, staring at her maliciously. Despite herself, Artemis felt her eyes widen in fear. She didn't want to die. The Joker gave a maniacal laugh. "That scares you now doesn't it? Fear isn't really my thing, but I see you must fear death. Silly girl, everybody dies, even you."

From his belt, The Joker pulled out a knife, the same one he had already dug into her thigh. She knew she had to do something, she didn't want to die, and she hadn't had a chance to really be a teenager yet.

Giving one last forceful pull on her ropes, they loosened and Artemis' arms were free. She stuck out her arms over her as the knife was brought down. It took her a second to comprehend the pain, but then it was shooting through her.

"You stupid child." The Joker pulled the knife out and Artemis screamed, but she didn't let it distract her. She swung her legs into his, knocking him over. He landed on the chair, breaking it. Artemis scrambled to the other side of the room before he could comprehend what had just happened.

"Now you've done it." The Joker said getting up. Artemis pulled the rag out of her mouth.

"No, you have." Picking up a piece of wood to defend her, Artemis braced for the fight that was about to happen. What she didn't expect, was the loud splintering of the wooden door as Harper appeared.

The worry on his face eased a bit when he spotted Artemis. The Joker growled with frustration.

"Oh look, another toy." The Joker says. Arsenal didn't even respond, releasing a smoke screen. "Oh really, that the best you got."

When the smoke cleared though, Joker looked up to see Batman standing over him, a scowl on his face.

"Hey Batsy." The Joker coos.

"Joker." Batman simply states in a monotone voice. "I think its time for you to go back to where you came from."

Artemis watched as Batman threw a punch into Joker's face. She would have watched longer if strong arms hadn't suddenly wrapped around her, lifting her up and carrying her out of the room. She squirmed in the arms until she could see that it was Oliver who had her.

"Oliver?" She asked tentatively. He gave a small smile.

"I'm so happy you are okay." He says, clearly relieved. His eyes were bloodshot and he suddenly looked tired, and a few years older. "That was the worst night of my life by far, even worse then some of my nights on the island."

"Really?" Artemis asked quietly as they exited the building. Robin and Diggle were waiting outside of it in an alley.

"I had never been more scared in my life." Oliver states, holding Artemis a little closer.

"Glad to see you are okay." Robin states smiling goofily. He looked over to the building. "I'll see you guys around." With that, he ran into the building to go give Batman a hand.

"Come on, we got to get you all patched up." Oliver says. Artemis realized then that she was bleeding all over Oliver.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I'm just happy you are alright." Oliver says relieved. He held Artemis close as Diggle brought around the car and he didn't let her go, even when she fell asleep.

**A/N: And Finish. Wow, I did not think I was going to be able to finish that on time. I'm glad I did. I hope you guys liked that, had some good Oliver and Artemis fluff. Not a lot of Laurel, but she will be in it more in the next chapter, which includes Oliver's induction into the League and his and Roy's first mission. (Finally!) Artemis will not be going on a lot of league missions because in the show not many people knew who she was and I would like to keep some of that anonymousness of her in this story as well. Until next week! Review!**


	12. Chapter 9: The New Perspective

**A/N: Hello there.**

** So this chapter is set a month later, so it is now May.**

** Just a warning, my next update might not be up next Thursday. I am going to be super busy the next week between a big sailing race over on the vineyard, having no computer access for the three days I will be over there, and then having to help run a sailing race all day Monday, the next chapter might be a bit late. Don't worry; it will be posted eventually, most likely on Friday or Saturday if it's not up on Thursday. **

** Okay, so enjoy this chapter. Don't forget to review! The number of reviewers was a bit down on the last chapter from past chapters so hopefully we can get it back up for this chapter!**

**The New Archer In Town**

_Chapter Nine: The New Perspective_

"The Justice League has been formed for many reasons, but it shows how together, we are stronger then apart." Superman says into the podium. "The six other heroes you see behind me," Superman motions to Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter, "Formed the Justice League. Now we add three new members."

Oliver took that as his cue to step out with the other two inductees, Hawkman and Hawkwoman. They didn't talk much, but they seemed nice enough. The crowd cheered as they stepped out. Oliver couldn't help but smile underneath his hood; it felt nice to be cheered rather then hunted. Lance was going to have a heart attack if he saw this.

"I would like to introduce you all to Green Arrow, Hawkman, and Hawkwoman, the newest and not the last members of the Justice League. We welcome you all." With that, the crowd cheered louder. In the few months since the original seven members had formed the team, they had earned quite a bit of publicity, good publicity. The crowd before them in front of the United Nations was very large. Oliver knew that somewhere out there in the crowd was his team, cheering right along with them.

Shortly after that, Oliver and the other two inductees were ushered inside the United Nations building with the rest of the League for a press conference. They stopped for a quick coffee break in a side room next to where the press conference was to be held.

Oliver clutched his coffee cup, wishing Laurel was there with him. The other two inductees were off talking to each other so Oliver was left along with his coffee. He considered speaking to Batman, but he appeared in a serious conversation with Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, and Superman. Suddenly, Oliver was being patted on his back, his coffee threatening to spill over the edge onto his costume.

"Well done out there pal." Flash says.

"Yeah, not to bad. I of course was much better at our original press conference." Green Lantern says smugly.

"I didn't really do anything." Oliver states.

"Exactly." Green Lantern responds.

"So what is this whole press conference thing like?" Oliver asks.

"It's pretty simple, reporters come in and ask us questions." Flash explains.

"No shit." Green Lantern says, shaking his head. Oliver couldn't help but smile. A woman with a clipboard appears in the doorway.

"You all need to be out there in two minutes." She tells them. Superman seemed to be their spokesperson. He nods.

"Thank you Catherine." He says. She beams.

"No problem. Be out there in no later then," She looks at her watch. "A minute a forty-seven seconds." She then disappears out the door.

"Alright league, let's get out there. For the new members, just stay calm, smile, and answer their questions. Don't give away super private questions, keep the answers generalized." Superman instructs. Oliver along with the two hawks nods.  
The league filtered out of the room. As he was walking, Oliver felt someone reach out and grab him, pulling him into an empty hallway. He spun around to see that his attacker was Artemis, in civilian clothes of course.

"How did you even get in here?" Oliver asks her.

She just smirks, giving Oliver a hug. "Congrats Ollie." Artemis told him. It had been a month, but Artemis still had a bandage wrapped around her thigh from one of Joker's knives. The wound had been pretty deep and she had just recently gotten off of crutches. Every time Oliver saw the bandage, it made him angrier.

"Thanks kid. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." Oliver says, smiling. Artemis beamed. Things had been good between them. Oliver Queen officially adopted Artemis. If she ever wanted to, she could change her name to Artemis Queen, but Oliver was leaving the decision up to her. He still couldn't exactly call her his daughter though.

"Green Arrow?" Somebody called out from the other hallway.

"Got to go kid. See you back at the house." Thanks to this thing called a zeta tube that the league used to zip around places, Oliver could be in New York from Starling City in a matter of minutes. Same with the league hideout in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island. They had even given him a code to use to get his team back and forth through the tubes as well.

"Don't choke." Artemis told him as her support. Oliver smiled at her, jogging away to catch up with the rest of the league.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^

"Flash, how do you feel about having new teammates? Do you trust them?" One reporter asks. The whole league, all ten members, were seated in a row in front of a group of reporters in a room in the UN building.

Flash smiled a bit. "Course I do. Heroes are naturally trustworthy people and I already got that vibe from the two hawks. I've also already fought along side Green Arrow and I know he is a trustworthy guy." The reporters buzz increases as they all scurry for a follow up question.

Catherine, the lady with the clipboard, was keeping them at bay. She also chose which ones got to ask questions. She pointed to a lady in her early forties in a pencil skirt and blouse.

"This is for Flash again, what were the instances that you fought alongside Green Arrow?" She asked.

Flash looked down the row to Oliver. "Should you tell them or should I?" Flash asked, smiling widely like the two were on some inside joke together. Oliver smiled and shrugged. He was surprisingly enjoying himself.

"You can go ahead." Oliver told him. Flash immediately launched into an exaggerated tale of the two missions they had both been on, even though one of them had been incredibly minor. Oliver's mind began to drift, his eyes scanning the room.

Soon Oliver would be going on his first mission. Batman had already given him the okay to take a sidekick along with him and to even introduce Diggle and Felicity to the rest of the league. Oliver knew that he would be taking Roy on league missions for a little while. Artemis wouldn't be happy about it, but after what happened with Joker, Oliver was determined to keep her to Starling City villains, at least for a little while.

Oliver could already imagine her annoyance and unhappiness with it, but if it kept her safe, he would stay steady. If he had to, he could just ask Laurel to keep an eye on her and go all Black Canary on her if she had too. The thought of his team/family made him smile as Flash wrapped up his story.

"...And those were the two times I fought alongside Green Arrow." Flash finishes. Camera flashes went off as people began shouting out their questions.

"One at a time!" Catherine states. She points at a man with white hair, "You."

"My question is for Green Arrow." Oliver turned to look at the man. "How does it feel to be considered a hero now instead of a wanted criminal?"

"Honestly, it is pretty damn nice." Oliver answered, earning a laugh.

"And my follow up question is this, what drove you to be the Starling City Vigilante?" He asks. Oliver paused for a moment before answering.

"I saw that my city was corrupt. I saw that there were people back stabbing each other right and left, literally and figuratively. I saw the hopelessness and I wanted to stop it. Originally that involved killing those who had wronged my city, but I soon took a different approach. I guess that approach makes me a hero." Green Arrow says with a grin. People laugh again.

"Final question. We know you have a sidekick, Arsenal, will he be joining you on missions?"  
Oliver smiled, they didn't know about Artemis. She stayed on the down low most of the time, which was perfect. "Yes, Arsenal will accompany me on missions, he would probably kill me if I didn't allow him too." More laughter.

"Thank you Green Arrow, no more questions." The reporter sat down in his seat. Oliver reclined a bit in his own, taking a sip of water. A reported asked another question, this one directed at Hawkwoman. Oliver knew he could get used to this.

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^

Artemis took her usual seat in her life science class besides Jackson whose nose was in a book, as usual.

"Whatcha reading Jacky boy?" She asked, dropping her backpack on the ground and pulling out her binder.

"Another Percy Jackson." Jackson flashed the cover. Artemis recognized it; Jackson had definitely read it like two months before.

"Wow, you really like those books." Artemis comments.

"I like the adventure. Percy Jackson is so cool and super strong. He doesn't let bullies get to him." Jackson stared down at his book shyly, adjusting his glasses. Artemis felt so bad for her friend, she just wanted to reach over and hug him.

"Well Jackson, you share part of his name. You got a bit of that courage in you as well." Artemis assures him.

"Yeah right." Jackson responds sarcastically.

"I'm serious Jacks! You are the strongest person I know, even stronger then all those superheroes. You deal with the bullies and you don't let them get to you."

"You think I don't let them get to me?"  
"If they really truly did, you would change yourself to match what they want you to be. You don't do that. You're still Jackson." Artemis tells him with a smile. Jackson began to smile as well. Before he could say anything, they heard a snickering from behind them.

"Why don't you just kiss him already?" Harry asks. Artemis rolls her eyes as his friends snicker. Jackson turns bright red and buries his face in his book.

"Why don't you put a sock in it Merlyn? Nobody cares what you say or think, even thought I doubt that is very much." His friends stare at her openmouthed, but Artemis didn't care, especially when she saw the smile on Jackson's face.

"Why you..." The teacher chose that moment to walk in, interrupting Harry.

"Settle down class. We are assigning partners for your end of the year cell projects today." Mrs. Lord says. The whole class groans. "Now, now. We went over the directions yesterday. So for partners we have," He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. "Susie and Jackson, Molly and Charlotte, Gabe and Hannah, Sarah and Luke, Hadley and Arianna, Nick and Anna, Rowan and Malcolm, and Artemis and Harrison."

"What?" Artemis exclaimed in shock. The whole class looked over at her weirdly, even Arianna, the girl who had barely spoken two words the whole school year. "I can't work with him."

"I can't work with her!" Harry responds, equally outraged, especially at the fact that his two best friends Rowan and Malcolm were paired together.

"There is no changing your pairs." Mrs. Lord states. Harry groans.

"Just suck it up and deal with it." Luke, a short athletic popular kid states bluntly. "You get what you get and you don't get upset."

"Real mature." His friend Gabe, who towered over Luke, responds. Artemis groans.

"I can't believe I have to work with you." Artemis sneers at Harry when Mrs. Lord begins her lesson.

"I'm not happy about this either Arty." He sneers back. Artemis looks away, trying to focus on what Mrs. Lord was writing on the board, but she failed miserably. A note landed on her desk.

_Sorry you're stuck with Harry. -J_

Artemis looked over at Jackson who was busy taking notes. Everyone else seemed to be doing the same. On the other side of her, Hadley was studiously writing her notes in different colored glittery pens. Luke on the other hand, who sat in front of her, seemed to only own one pencil and was doodling as well as annoying Sarah, who sat next to him and her sister Hannah.

_You mean, sorry I'm stuck with the devil -A_

Jackson smiled when he read the note. He scrawled out a quick response.

_My Bad. -J_

Before she could respond, she felt a nudge in her side. She looked over to see Hadley pointing at the board where Mrs. Lord was just finishing writing and about to turn around. If Hadley hadn't warned her, she would had written her response and both her and Jackson would have gotten in trouble.

"Thanks." Artemis mouthed to Hadley.

"No problem." She mouthed back before turning back to her notes. Artemis pulled out a pen and decided to begin taking some herself.

^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^

"How's the homework coming along?" Roy teases Artemis. Artemis looks up at him and narrows her eyes.

"Shut up. At least I'm going to graduate and go to college." Artemis responds.

"Let's not go there." Diggle intervenes before it could get worst. The arrow team was gathered in their lair. Roy was cleaning some of his weapons while Diggle read a newspaper. Oliver, Felicity, and Laurel were hunched over a computer screen, reading something. Artemis was sprawled out on the floor doing homework.

"Arty." Roy states.

"Ginger boy." Artemis responds.

"Grow up." Diggle says. "Some of us are trying to read."

"Sorry Diggle." Artemis apologizes. She looks over at Roy. "See, some of us are civilized enough to apologize."

"Funny cause you never do." Roy responds.

"Asshole."

"Princess."

Diggle sighs and relocates away from the arguing children. He pulled his chair over to the computer were the other three adults were. Diggle was about to ask them what they were doing when they heard a beeping. Oliver looked down at the communicator on his belt.

"I guess they need me for a mission." Oliver says, grinning. Laurel smiles, kissing his cheek.

"Good luck on your first league mission." She says with a smile. "Be back quickly."

"I will." For the most part, Oliver was already dressed He grabbed his hood and bow and turned to the two young adults. "Roy, suit up."

"What?" Artemis asks incredulously standing up. Roy chuckles, grabbing a bunch of gadgets.

"Artemis, you're still injured." Oliver states.

"I'm better!" She protests. She tries to prove this by standing up and walking. Oliver noticed the slight hobble in her walk though, the others did too.

"Artemis, you're not going. End of story." Laurel states.

"No! You can't decide that for me. You're not my mom." Artemis tells her. She turns back to Oliver. "Please Ollie?"

"Don't talk to Laurel like that. You're not coming. We will talk about the issue of league missions when you are older. End of story."

"When I am older? Ollie..." Oliver interrupts her.

"End of story." He turns to Roy. "Let's go Harper."

Roy nods. The two of them walk over to a zeta tube that Dr. Strange and Felicity had installed in the basement. The last thing Oliver saw was Artemis' look of betrayal. The next thing he knew, he was walking through the portal into the mission room at Mt. Justice.

"What's up?" Oliver asks. A few moments later, Arsenal arrived. Also present were Flash, Kid Flash, Batman and Robin. Robin and Kid Flash were talking quietly, off to the side a bit.

"The six of us will be breaking up a meeting of several big name villains." Batman says. Four pictures came up behind him. "Our sources say that Cheshire, Black Spider, and Hook will be meeting with this person." A picture materialized. "We do not know who she is."

"I do." Oliver says, recognizing the girl immediately. "That is Huntress. She is...unstable. Her father is a leader of a mafia in Starling City and ordered the hit that killed her fiancé. She wants revenge and must be meeting with those three to get their help." Batman nods.

"Good. The four will be meeting soon in Metropolis. We will zeta beam there." Batman states.

"Bet I could run and beat you guys there." Kid Flash says cockily. Batman glares at him and Flash grabs his sidekick.

"We are just going to follow what Batman does, got it kid?" He asks his sidekick. Kid Flash nods. "Good."

The six heroes arrived through the zeta beam in Metropolis and travelled under the cover of darkness to the abandoned warehouse where the meeting was occurring. They broke up into heroes and their sidekicks upon arrival.

Green Arrow and Arsenal were on the roof. Through a skylight, they could listen in as the three assassins and the vigilante conversed.

"What's in it for us? The League of Shadows doesn't do handouts." Cheshire's voice wafted up through the skylight.

"You can take over all the business of my father's mafia. He had quite a profitable business. You take him and your top officials down and you can put in your own figurehead." Huntress' voice said.

"Al Ghul would like that." a man's voice that Oliver did not recognize responded.

"It would mean money and money is always nice." Another man said.

"Shut it you too. You're the muscle, I'm the one leading this meeting." Cheshire states.

"Alright, Flash and Kid Flash, move in now." Batman's voice said through the comm unit. A moment later they heard a large crash. Oliver peered down to see that Kid Flash and Flash had sped in at top speeds, knocking the two men into crates.

"Green Arrow now." Without a single hesitation, Oliver shot an arrow through the glass and slid down the connecting rope, Arsenal followed.

"Oliver." Huntress states.

"Huntress." He responded, notching an arrow.

"Why so formal Ollie? We used to be friends." Huntress pouts.

"My friend was Helena, she's dead, replaced by Huntress." Oliver says, releasing an arrow. Huntress expertly gets out of the way. To his right, he saw Kid Flash fly through the air, a web attached to him. Black Spider.

"Go help him, I got her." Oliver shouts to Roy. He doesn't see any sort of movement. "Arsenal?"

Oliver spun around to see Cheshire holding a Sai up to Roy's throat.

"Red can't go anywhere at the moment, he's a little hung up." Cheshire purrs. Distracted, Oliver missed the bolt Huntress' crossbow. It didn't embed in him, just nicked his arm. He grasped it in pain, staring at Cheshire's gloating face.

Suddenly, a bat shaped boomerang was thrown, exploding into a cloud of smoke right in Cheshire's face. Oliver used the smoke cover to spin around and go after Huntress. Going low, he swept her legs out from under her.

When the smoke was clear, Cheshire was tied up, Roy was free, and Huntress was on the ground. She popped back up and went after Oliver. The others continued to fight with Hook and Black Spider.

"What are you doing Oliver?" Huntress asked while she was in a chokehold. She spun, twisting herself out of it. "You're not a hero like these guys." She responded with a punch to Oliver's face. He swung his bow, getting her in the back as she fell to the ground.

"What makes you think that?" Oliver asks her, putting a foot on her back. Huntress kicked up her legs, knocking him to the ground.

"You like the darkness. You like that pleasure in taking someone's life. You won't last." Huntress sneers, placing a foot on Oliver's chest. Oliver reaches up, grabs her leg and swings her into a nearby wall. Oliver walked over to her form lying on the floor.

"I've changed, just like you." Oliver pulled out a knock out gas arrow and releases the canister. He walked away as the gas knocked out Huntress. Walking over to do the same to Cheshire, Oliver found that she had escaped from her ropes and was nowhere in sight.

"Looks like Cheshire escaped, again." Kid Flash says suddenly speeding up besides Oliver. Robin and Roy were close behind.

"Does she do that a lot?" Roy asks.

"Quite. She disappears..." Robin starts.

"Just like the Cheshire cat." Kid Flash finishes. Behind the two boys, their mentors were pushing two captured assassins up against the wall besides Huntress. Oliver looked at Helena sadly.

"You alright Ollie?" Roy asks. He had had his fair share of run ins with Huntress.

"I just wish I didn't fail her like I did." He said sadly.

"You didn't fail her Oliver, she failed you." Roy tells him before the two other sidekicks pull him off somewhere. Robin and Kid Flash seemed to have taken a liking to the older boy, especially Kid Flash. Oliver watched them go, smiling sadly.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^

"You know you could give me a hand." Artemis states annoyed as she glued another piece onto the Styrofoam ball that Artemis had cut out a part of to place the parts of the cell in. Harry and her had spent the past two hours in the library working on the project and Harry had done nothing.

"You seem to be doing just fine." Harry says, leaning back on his chair, his feet up on the table, playing games on his phone. Artemis pushes all the supplies his way.

"Do something. Glue one of these things on." Artemis points at the pieces she had already sorted out to be the different parts.

"Pass."

"You can't pass idiot. This is a two person project, not a one person project." Artemis states. Harry doesn't make any move to do anything. Out of anger and frustration, Artemis kicks out the legs to his seat. Harry fell on his butt. Luckily they were in the back of the library and nobody noticed.

"What was that for?" Harry asks.

"For being an asshole." Picking up her water she dumps it over his head. "And that is for not helping me."

Angrily, Harry stands up picks up the glue and squirts it at her. Artemis stares at him as glue covers her clothes and some of it gets in her hair. That was going to be a pain in the ass to take out. Grabbing the glitter Artemis had gotten with the crafts set to do the project, she dumped it all over his head and poured some glue on top.  
"Bitch." Harry replies.

"Asshole."

"You already called me that."

"Bastard."  
Harry picked up the Styrofoam ball and crushed it in his hands, sprinkling the dust over a shocked Artemis. It stuck to the glue that was already covering her.

"That was our project idiot. Do you want to fail?" Artemis screeched.

"That was..." Harry stopped speaking. Artemis spun around to see the librarian right behind them, furious.

"This is unacceptable! You are both thirteen, grow up!" The Librarian yells. "I expect this area to be spotless in a half an hour and then don't even think about setting foot in this library again for a long time." She walked away, or more like stomped away.

"This is all your fault." Harry says as he begins to clean up their mess.

"My fault?" Artemis questions indignantly.

"You started it." Harry responds.

"You were both the stimulus and the one to continue it." Artemis replies. They glare at each other for the next few minutes as they continue to clean. Harry cracked first. Slowly his face began to spread into a grin and he began to laugh quietly. Artemis soon joined in until they were both rolling on the floor laughing.

"It's pretty funny when you think about it." Harry says when they had sat up. The two were sitting against the table.

"Yeah. I've never gotten into a material fight with someone before." Artemis states.

"Yeah, me neither." Harry replies. "We can meet at my house tomorrow or something to finish the project. I have a better idea then simple Styrofoam, everyone does that."

"You could have just said that from the start and avoided getting us banned from the library." Artemis responds. Harry shrugs.

"You know, you're not that bad Crock."

"Neither are you Merlyn."

**A/N: Yeah! I finished! I hope you guys liked this chapter. All the kids in Artemis' class are kids that I teach sailing too. It was fun to try portraying some of their personalities in actual school settings. **

** So yeah, I hope to get the next chapter up next Thursday, but I can't promise anything. Until next time.**

** P.S. Don't forget to review :) **


	13. Chapter 10: The Party

**A/N: Hey guys. I've had a bad week so I hope this isn't too horrendous. I'm so sorry that this is really late. This week sucked but I'm all done with work for the rest of the summer so hopefully I will get more chapters up soon. I would ideally like to be done with this story by the end of the summer. Originally I was going to write a fight scene for this chapter, but I couldn't bring myself to write it, I am so bad at them and I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Sorry for anyone expecting a really awesome fight scene. **

** So this is pretty much a filler/fluff chapter that leads into next week's dramatic chapter. It mainly shows Artemis growing up a bit. This chapter takes place a year after the last, one of the bigger time skips in this story. I will hopefully introduce the team in a few more chapters. Artemis is fourteen and finishing up eighth grade in this chapter. Enjoy!**

**The New Archer In Town**

_Chapter Ten: The Party_

"Put this on." Lori says, grabbing a skirt on the floor and throwing it at Artemis across the room. She was lying on Artemis' bed flipping through a magazine. Her long auburn hair hung over the edge of the bed. She put the magazine down and flipped over onto her stomach, looking at Artemis expectantly.

"This is a skirt." Artemis states, holding up the navy blue skirt.

"Yep. It's a little big on me but it would fit you perfectly since your taller then me. It might be a little short but that's fine." Lori tells her. She opens her magazine again.

"I don't wear skirts." Artemis informs her friend.

"You've worn one everyday to school for the last two years." Lori tells her.

"That's different." Artemis states. Lori looks at her skeptically.

"Really? Enlighten me and tell me how exactly it's so different?" Lori asks, closing her magazine again.

"This isn't by force." Artemis says holding up the navy skirt.

"Now it is. I'm forcing you to wear it." Lori says grinning. Artemis glares at her but she doesn't even flinch. The two have a staring contest for a minute.

"Artemis just put it on any minute. Jacks is going to be here any moment and you know how impatient he gets." Lori states. Artemis sighs but disappears into her walk in closet and puts it on. As she turns to go, Lori throws a white tank top at her. "Can't show up with out a top on. No shirt, no shoes, no service."

A few minutes later Artemis appeared in the navy skirt and white tank top. She slipped on her favorite black converse, despite Lori's complaints that black and navy don't go together. She then put her hair up in its normal ponytail. Down below a doorbell rang.

"Come on." Artemis says dragging her friend off of her bed. "That's probably Jacks."

The two girls walked down the stairs of the Queen manor at the same time Oliver was going to answer the door. He looked at the girls confused, especially at the fact that Artemis was wearing a skirt. He paused for a few moments and Jackson rung the doorbell again.

"Aren't you going to answer the door Ollie?" Artemis asks. Oliver nods, opening the door wide. Jackson stepped in wearing a pair of cargo shorts and polo shirt. He had grown taller in the past year. He had grown a lot, now towering over Artemis. He got contacts as well and grew out his hair a bit. Despite the image change, he was still his dorky self and Artemis was glad for that. She didn't want her best friend changing that much.

"When are we going?" Jackson asks.

"Diggle should be ready to go in a minute or two." Artemis tells him. Oliver looks over at them confused.

"Where are you guys going?" Oliver asks.

"Luke Fifth is having a party at his house for the end of the school year. He invited the whole grade." Lori explains.

"His parents will be there monitoring and stuff." Jackson adds. Artemis nods.

"Do you guys need a ride?" Oliver asks.

"Nope, Diggle is driving us." Artemis tells him.

"Oh. What time do you want me to come get you?" Oliver asks her.

"Laurel is picking me up at eleven. We're having a girls night." Artemis tells him. "I know you're probably going to be busy with stuff at Verdant."

"Oh...yeah." Oliver says. Diggle appears in the hallway.

"Everyone ready to go?" Diggle asks.

"Yep." Lori tells him.

"You have the address?" Jackson asks.

"Yes I do." Diggle says.

"Don't forget we're giving Harry a ride over." Artemis adds. Yes, in the past year Harry had gotten better. He wasn't one of their best friends yet. But he had strayed away from always hanging out with Malcolm and Rowan, the real jerks. As Artemis had discovered while they were working on their project together, Harry wasn't that bad. He and Jackson had even begun a tentative friendship.

"I didn't." Diggle says smiling at Artemis. Lori, Jackson, and Diggle walk out the door. On her way out, Artemis turns around.

"See ya later Ollie." Artemis says and then closes the door behind her. Oliver stood alone in the hallway. In the past year, he and Artemis had drifted apart a bit. She wasn't mad anymore about not being allowed on league missions, in fact she liked it. When Oliver and Roy were away on league missions, which were a lot, she got to be one of the big heroes of Starling City. Along with Black Canary and Diggle, they took care of Starling.

Oliver hadn't realized just how much he had drifted out of her life until that moment and truthfully, he didn't know what to do to fix it. Suddenly, his watch beeped.

"Arrow here." He says into the communicator disguised as a watch.

"Arrow, this is Aquaman. Black Manta is about to make an appearance in Starling City. Aqualad and I have been chasing him across the ocean. Be ready for him." Aquaman says.

"Will do." Oliver responds. He sighs and then goes to get his stuff.

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^

Oliver and Roy followed the directions on their GPS' to the spot where Aquaman said to meet. They walked on the beach for a few yards until a man with blonde hair and a beard and a younger boy approached them, probably only a few years older then Artemis.

"Arrow." Aquaman says nodding.

"Aquaman." Oliver says. He looks over at the young man besides him. "Who is this?"

"My new sidekick, Aqualad." Aquaman introduces the boy. He nods, smiling shyly.

"Nice to meet you." Roy says. "I'm Arsenal."

"Now that the introductions have been made, we have a villain to take on." Aquaman states. Oliver and Roy nod.

"We believe that we know where they will be landing." Aqualad says.

"Beware, Black Manta always has back up." Aquaman finishes.

"We're ready for this." Roy tells them.

"Then let's go."

^^^^Line Break^^^^^

Artemis carried a can of Sprite in her hand as she walked through the crowded basement. Luke's house was pretty big, the party taking place in the basement. There weren't that many people in their grade but it was still an impressive feat to be able to house them all in a basement.

Off to the side, speakers blared songs from Luke's IPod and soda cans were on a bar counter top in the back. People were dancing, talking, and playing dumb games like spin the bottle and seven minutes in heaven. It was what you would expect from a party of fourteen year olds.

Artemis quickly found her friends. Jackson looked uncomfortable with his hands in his pockets while Lori and Harry were in a heated discussion. Artemis liked to think of it as sexual tension. She walked up besides Jackson, watching the two of them continue to go at it. Nobody else noticed though with the loud music.

"What is it about this time?" Artemis asked. Jackson shrugs.

"Honestly, I have no clue. I turn around to say hi to Hadley Winter and the next thing I know they are arguing." Jackson says shaking his head. Artemis grins.

"Hadley Winters eh?" Artemis says smiling. Jackson rolls his eyes and stares at the ground.

"What? We're lab partners. I was being friendly and putting myself out there like Lori is always telling me to do." Jackson responds looking up at Artemis.

"I'm just saying." Artemis responds with a grin.

"Well stop speaking then. Wouldn't want you to loose your voice." Jackson replies. Artemis smiles, she and Lori had really begun to rub off on the boy.

"Nice. You seen Luke at all? I feel like I should thank him for inviting me." Artemis says. Her mom had always told her that being polite would get her far. Moira had always pounded that into her brain over the past year and half as well.

"I don't know." Jackson says shrugging. "I'm assuming he disappeared somewhere with some girl." Artemis just shakes her head.

"That's so...tacky. Promise me you never disappear with a girl at a party Jacks?"

"I need to get a girl first 'Mis." Jackson states sadly.

"It'll happen eventually Jacks, don't you worry." Artemis reassures him, patting him on the back. Jackson sighs.

"I'm going to go get a soda." Jackson says. "You should probably interrupt their fight before they kill each other off." Jackson tilts his head towards Harry and Lori.

"I'll try." Artemis says smiling.

"Just don't put yourself in the crossfire." Jackson jokes before walking off to where the soda was. Artemis turned towards Lori and Harry. Both were red in the face and neither looked like they were backing out anytime soon.

"You're such a pig." Lori shouts.

"Prude!" Harry snaps back. Artemis steps between them, putting an arm up to stop them both.

"That is enough." Artemis states. Harry and Lori look over at her.

"He's such a..." Lori starts. Harry interrupts.

"She's so..." Artemis stops him.

"We all get it, you guys like each other. Can we please act our age?" Artemis asks sarcastically.

"I don't like him." Lori protests at the same time Harry shouts indignantly. "I can't stand her."

Artemis rolls her eyes but says nothing. "I'm going to go get a drink." Lori says and walks away in a huff. Artemis turns to Harry, amusement in her eyes.

"Way to go Merlyn, you've really done it now." Artemis says. Harry grins.

"She'll come around. She just needs to loosen up. You do too." Harry tells them. "Have some fun. You want to go play spin the bottle?"

"And run the risk of having to kiss you? No thanks." Artemis states with a smile. That was how their friendship went. They traded insults with each other and always joked around. They weren't as close as she was with Jackson and Lori, but it was better then where they used to be. Mrs. Lord's project was what ended up starting their friendship. Artemis was actually glad for it, even if she hated it at the time.

"I would rock your world Artemis." Harry replies. Artemis fake gags.

"You mean you would make me want to puke?" Artemis responds.

"You're jealous of my charm." Harry states.

"What charm?"

"Hardy har har. You're so funny Artemis." Harry responds blandly. Artemis just grins. "Seriously though, have you ever had a boyfriend?"

"Harry, I'm fourteen." Artemis states.

"Still." Harry responds.

"You had a girlfriend for like three months and all you really did was text each other." Artemis states. Harry shrugs.

"Whatever happened to that guy from Central City?" Harry asks.

"Wally?" Artemis asks. Harry nods. Artemis shrugs. "We stopped writing letters to each other like over a year ago. We only knew each other for like six hours. We just ran out of things to say to each other I guess."  
"What a shame. I thought I was quite the matchmaker." Harry says. Artemis rolls her eyes but doesn't respond when she hears laughter coming from over by the drinks and then Lori's enraged shout. Next to her, Artemis watched as Harry's eyes darkened. He ran towards the group and Artemis followed. Lori wasn't the focus of their laughter though, Jackson was.

Rowan and Malcolm were laughing hysterically at Jackson, whose pants were covered in soda in a very awkward spot.

"Looks like Jackson was never toilet trained." Rowan says laughing. Lori was right there, staring angrily at the two boys.

"Listen jack Asses." Lori begins, Malcolm cuts her off though.

"And it's the girl to the rescue again." He turns to Jackson. "Are you always going to let a bunch of girls fight your battles loser?"

Jackson's face reddens and he doesn't say anything, just stares at the ground. Artemis breaks through the group, much to the mortification of her friend.

"What the hell guys? Aren't we a little old for this now?" Artemis asks them.

"Another girl to the rescue. Wow Jackson, you're pathetic." Rowan taunts. The group that had formed continued to laugh. Harry stepped out.

"That's enough." Harry says with a booming voice. Everyone stopped laughing. "This is ridiculous. Everyone disperse, now."

Harry possessed an authority to him that made people listen. Within seconds, the group was gone and all that remained was Jackson, Artemis, Lori, Harry, Malcolm, and Rowan.

"I suggest you two leave now." Harry tells them.

"Whatever." Rowan says.

"You can't hide forever loser." Malcolm says, directed towards Jackson. Artemis takes a step towards them, her fists clenched together, and they scramble away. She turns to Jackson.

"You okay Jacks?" Artemis asks.

"Why did you have to do that 'Mis." He turns to Lori. "You too. I can take care of myself."  
"We're your friends. We're here so you don't have to." Lori tells him.

"Well maybe you should just stop. I can deal with them myself." Jackson states. He turns around and runs off before anyone could stop him.

"Should I got talk to him?" Artemis asks. Lori nods but Harry grabs her arm and stops her.

"Don't go Artemis. He needs to figure this out himself." Harry tells her.

"But..."Artemis protests. Harry interrupts her.

"No Artemis. It's a guy thing."

"It's stupid." Lori responds, crossing her arms.

"Whatever you think, he needs to deal with this on his own. You guys going after him would just make it worse." Harry tells them.

"But..."

"No." Harry states firmly.

An alarm on Artemis' phone rang. She pulled it out, seeing that the time was eleven. Artemis sighed.

"I'm still going to call him tomorrow. Laurel is probably here now." Artemis says.

"Talk to you tomorrow?" Lori says.

"Yeah. See you guys." Artemis says walking up the stairs. She waves bye to Luke who had reappeared and was talking with Sarah Gage, which was no surprise to her.

Artemis walked out of the door and saw a familiar motorcycle in the driveway. The rider took off his helmet to reveal Oliver. He had a split lip but that seemed to be all. Artemis approached him.

"How'd that happen?" She asks.

"Fought Black Manta with Aquaman and Aqualad." Oliver explains. "Official league business and stuff."

"Oh...cool." Artemis replies. "Where's Laurel?"  
"I called her and told her that you guys can reschedule girl's night. You guys have all the time in the world on patrols for that. I want some time with you." Oliver says smiling. He tosses her a helmet. "Hop on."

"Where we going?" Artemis asks.

"Midnight snack." Oliver tells her. Artemis smiles.

"It's not even midnight yet." Artemis responds.

"Use your imagination." Oliver tells her, putting on his helmet. Artemis smiles and hops on the back of the motorcycle, not even caring that she was in a skirt.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^

Artemis took a big spoonful of her cookie dough ice cream. Oliver laughed as some of it got on her nose. He passed her a napkin. The two of them were the only ones eating ice cream outside at almost midnight.

"So how was the party?" Oliver asks. Artemis stares at her ice cream. She shrugs.

"Okay I guess." She says.

"Just okay?" Oliver asks.

"Some kids made fun of Jackson. Why do people like making fun of others? I just don't get it." Artemis states angrily. Oliver looks at her pensively for a moment.

"That's like asking why people like being evil and hurting others. Nobody really knows, they just do. Sometimes they have a motive and are just misguided, other times they are just bad people." Oliver says.

"Like Helena?" Artemis asks. She had heard all about the girl. Oliver nodded.

"And Malcolm Merlyn. They were both misguided and thought they had good reasons." Oliver states. Artemis nods.

"I guess you're right." Artemis tells him.

"I'm always right."

"You mean always wrong." Artemis responds. Oliver grins.

"Oh really?"

"Yes really." Artemis replies, smiling.

"I might just flick some ice cream at you for that."

"You wouldn't dare."

"I would."  
"I hate you." Artemis tells him.

"Oh really?" Oliver asks.

"Are we really about to go through that whole thing again?" Artemis asks.

"Maybe." Artemis grins.

"How you get by each day without doing something incredibly stupid completely mystifies me." Artemis states.

"Somebody is in a sassy mood." Oliver says. Artemis stares at him openmouthed for a few moments. "What did I do?"

"You did not just use the word sassy."

"I think I did."

"Well never use it again."

"Why?" Oliver inquires.

"Just don't." Artemis tells him.

"Sassy."

"How Laurel puts up with you I do not know." Artemis says.

"Sassy."

"Stop."

"Sassy." Oliver says, standing up.

"Please stop." Artemis says, laughing as Oliver picks her up. "Put me down Ollie!" She demands.

"Nope." Oliver throws her over his shoulder, grabbing their cups of ice cream and bringing them along.

"Oliver Queen!" Artemis shouts, pounding on his chest.

"Nope." Oliver states walking past the ice cream place to a nearby park. He ignored her protests as he walked a familiar path. Tommy and him had used to come here all the time in the summer when they were kids. It was May so hopefully it wasn't to early.

He entered the clearing, smiling when he realized he wasn't. He put Artemis down and handed her the rest of her ice cream. She glared at him but it quickly went away when she noticed all the fireflies flying around. She looked at them with wide-eyed amazement.

"Wow, I didn't know places like this existed." Artemis says.

"Tommy and I came here all the time when we were kids. Laurel sometimes too. We discovered it when we were camping out here with my dad when were nine."

"It's amazing."

"I knew you would like it." Oliver says taking a seat. Artemis sits besides him, smiling. Oliver puts an arm around her shoulder and the two of them watched the fireflies while finishing their ice cream.

**A/N: Yeah, so Oliver and Artemis feels. I hope you guys liked this chapter despite its suckiness. It definitely is not my best work. Next week will hopefully be better. It will be sad. I already know what will happen and it will be sad, you may cry, I may cry. If anyone has any guesses to what might happen, put it in a review. It connects a bit with this chapter so yeah. Review and tell me what your guess is. Sorry again that this is late. **


	14. Chapter 11: The Tragedy

**A/N: A few of you guessed it right. Who guessed it right, you'll just have to see in this chapter. This chapter is also a day early as an apology for how late the last chapter was.**

** So there were a few questions in the comments for the last chapter so I'm going to address some of them here.**

** Punisher164, Artemis may or may not briefly live with her mother. We'll just have to see. There will definitely be an Artemis vs. Sportsmaster in the very near future. Though I was keeping Cheshire for after she joins the team. Don't worry, it will happen soon.**

** Kamil the Awesome, I did hear about the casting of Black Canary. Not quite sure yet what to think. What do you think about that?**

** Awsomaniatica, I like the idea of that. She might tell them, she might not. You'll just have to see:) I'm trying to work on patience for this story. Hopefully it will get better.**

** Arrowflash, honestly I don't really know what age Roy is in this. I've been really vague on it because they are really vague in the show. Hmm...I'm going to make him the same age as Thea in this story. So like right now, he is twenty. They've never mentioned him going to school in Arrow or really in Young Justice, so he is not in school in this story. That help?**

** Anyways, it is October in the story. Our favorite young heroine and her friends are all freshman in high school. We are getting closer to the formation of the team. Just a few more chapters. Enjoy!**

**The New Archer in Town**

_Chapter Eleven: The Tragedy_

Artemis sat in her normal sat at her lunch table in an intense stare down with Jackson who was sitting across from her. Between the two of them was one single brownie. Lori and Harry looked on, Along with a few of their other classmates, Hadley Winter, Luke Fifth, and Sarah Gage.

"Artemis is so going to win." Lori whispers to Sarah, who nods.

"No way, Jackson has this in the bag." Luke counters.

"Would you guys shut up?" Artemis asks, not taking her eyes away from Jackson. She raises and eyebrow and Jackson grins.

"You're not winning this brownie Arty." Jackson says.

"Don't call me Arty Jacks." He smirks.

"Whatever 'Mis." The two continued their staring contest for the last of the brownie's Hadley had made for Lori's birthday.

"Shouldn't I just get it cause it's my birthday?" Lori asks, shaking her head as she watched her two best friends.

"No way." Jackson and Artemis say at the same time. Everyone laughs at the response. Artemis couldn't help but grin. Somehow her small group of two had expanded. In the past two years since coming to Starling City, Artemis had made friends. First with Jackson, then Lori, then Harry, and now they usually had Hadley, Luke, and Sarah around as well. She wasn't as close with the latter three, but she liked them enough.

Distracted by her thoughts, Artemis blinked. Jackson started cheering and grabbed the brownie. Harry and Hadley patted him on the back.

"Congrats my friend." Harry says with a smile. Artemis still did a double take sometimes whenever she saw Harry and Jackson interacting. It was nice to see that some people could change because not everyone seemed too.

"Hey bookworm." A voice taunts from behind them. Artemis watched in anger as Jackson went rigid with fear. Two juniors appeared, one on either side of Jackson.

"What are you reading today?" One asks.

"How to pick up girls? That would be a good one for you." Two asks.

"Lay off." Harry states.

"What are you going to do about it?" The bigger of the two juniors asks. Harry shrinks back. It was one thing to stand up to kids your own age, another to stand up to kids older then you. Harry stared at the ground, cheeks flaming red. "That's what I thought."

"Leave him alone. Don't you have anything better to do?" Artemis asks them, fearless as ever.

"Searching for your long lost IQ might be a better way to spend your time." Lori retorts. The two glared at the two older boys. "Seriously though, pick on someone your own age."

"Wow, you're so pathetic you need girls to defend you. What a loser." The two juniors say and walk away laughing. Jackson stared at the half eaten brownie and then gets up and begins walking away. Artemis gets up and follows after him, leaving behind the rest of their friends and their questioning looks.

"Jackson wait up." Artemis says. He walks through the doors of the cafeteria and Artemis follows. "Jackson seriously!" The two were alone in a deserted hallway.

"What?" Jackson asks spinning around. "What do you want Artemis?"

" What do I want? I want to know what are you doing? What's wrong with you?" Artemis asks.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? You embarrassed me again! You and Lori! Just let me handle things for once, you don't always need to come to my rescue. It's embarrassing."

"Why handle them when we are obviously better at it?" Artemis asks.

"Because you are a girl. It makes me look weak." Jackson tells her.

"Sexist are we now." Artemis says. Her features soften. "Jackson, we're your friends. We're supposed to help you."

"Well maybe you shouldn't." Jackson says.

"What should we do then? Just let them make fun of you?" Artemis asks.

"Yes." He replies, before turning away and walking down the hallway alone.

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^

"Hey." Laurel says as Artemis slides into the passenger seat of her car.

"Hey. Where's Oliver?" Artemis asks her.

"He got called out to some league mission with Flash and Green Lantern." Laurel informs her.

"Who else would he be with?" Artemis says, smiling. Laurel pulls away from the school.

"I know, but its nice that he is making friends that are like him in a way." Laurel says, smiling. "And one day you'll be able to meet them all too." Artemis snorts.

"Yeah right, Oliver isn't going to be letting me near another league member ever. I'm going to be stuck patrolling here in Starling City for my whole life." Artemis replies, crossing her arms across her chest.

"You know, I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but Oliver has been considering taking you along on a league mission." Laurel tells her with a smile on her face.

"Really?" Artemis asks, nearly jumping out of her seat.

"Really. I've been trying to convince him for you." Laurel tells her, laughing as Artemis hugs her. The car swerves before Laurel gets it back to steering straight. "Watch out, I have to drive."

"Sorry. But...really?" Artemis asks excited. She was smiling widely, a look of pure joy in her grey eyes.

"Yes, really." Laurel says.

"This is so awesome. I want to go on a league mission so bad. Anything to wipe that smug look off of Harper's face and to meet people like me." Artemis says, making Laurel laugh. She takes a right and turns down the road.

"Somebody is excited."

"Excited, I'm ecstatic!" Artemis proclaims.

"Don't get your hopes too up yet. Nothing is definite, but I'll keep working on him and I'm sure that you will be going on a league mission before you're sixteen."

"That's still a long ways away." Artemis says, sitting back in her seat a bit more.

"Hey, its better then never." Laurel points out. Artemis smiles at that. "So got any big Friday night plans?"

"Going over to Luke Fifth's house for a surprise birthday party for Lori." Artemis tells her. "We're inviting the majority of our grade that we like."

"So Malcolm and Rowan were at the top of your list?" Laurel asks. Artemis just rolls her eyes.

"I'm going over early with Sarah and Hadley to help set up." Artemis explains to her.

"You need a ride?" Laurel asks. Artemis shakes her head.

"Thea is giving me a ride and then going out with Harper. I assume he didn't go on the mission?" Artemis asks. Laurel shakes her head.

"Diggle went with him instead. He's considering giving himself a hero name and possibly joining the league." Laurel tells her.

"Really? How come I am just hearing this now?" Laurel shrugs. "Next thing you'll be telling me that Harper wants to join the league on his own." Laurel looks over at her and smiles. "No way."

"He was talking to Ollie about it the other night."

"And Ollie told you because you're his girlfriend." Artemis states.

"Oliver tells me everything, being the girlfriend has its benefits." Laurel tells her, turning into the Queen's driveway.

"Everything?" Artemis asks.

"Everything." Laurel says with a smirk.

"Even..."

"Even that." Laurel tells her. She pulls up in front of the front door.

"I can't believe this!" Artemis proclaims, stepping out of the car. She closes the door and Laurel rolls down the window.

"Don't worry Artemis, I'm not judging you." Laurel tells her.

"I'm having a talking to with him when he gets back." Artemis says, turning around and walking towards the door. Laurel chuckles and drives away.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^

"SURPRISE!" The whole room shouted. Harry removed Lori's blindfold and she looked around the basement in complete shock.

"What the hell is going on?" Lori asks, causing everyone to laugh. Jackson and I walk over to them as Luke begins playing music and everyone dispersed around the room.

"Happy birthday." Artemis says, hugging one of her best friends.

"You guys did this? For me?" Lori asks, looking around the decorated basement in shock. A big poster hung from the ceiling saying "Happy Birthday Lori" in big colorful letters. A table in the back had a cake, along with other food. Streamers and balloons hung around the rest of the room. Artemis had also printed out large pictures of Lori and put them around the basement. The four of them stood next to a picture of Lori, Jackson, and Artemis at the carnival when they were in seventh grade.

"Course we did." Harry says smiling. Jackson just nods, his face impassive. Artemis gives him a questioning look but he just looks away, staring at a pink balloon.

"Thank you guys!" Lori says smiling widely. "I have the best friends a girl could ever want."

"You mean me?" Artemis asks. "Cause these other two, they're not that great." Everyone laughs except for Jackson. Sarah appears with a camera.

"Picture time?" She asks. The four of them crowd together for a picture. Artemis looked over at Jackson, knowing the smile on his face was forced. Sarah walked away and while Lori and Harry talked to each other, Artemis turned to Jackson.

"What's up Jacks?" Artemis asks.

"Nothing 'Mis. Everything is fine." Jackson says, putting a smile on his face.

"I don't believe it." Artemis states. Jackson's fake smile falls.

"Can we do this later 'Mis? I don't want to ruin Lori's party." Jackson tells her. Artemis inwardly debates this for a few moments.

"Fine, but tomorrow you are coming over and we are talking about all the mood swings you've been having." Artemis says. She watches as a real smile crosses Jackson's face.

"You got it 'Mis."

"Why do you always call me 'Mis?" Artemis asks. He shrugs.

"You hate Arty and I couldn't think of any other nickname. Artemis can be a bit of a mouth full."

"It's not as bad as Jackson." Artemis retorts. Jackson laughs, causing Artemis to laugh as well. Her friend was finally acting normal again. The two of them grabbed sodas and then joined the rest of their friends who were sitting on the couches off to the side. The rest of the partygoers were all either eating, dancing, or talking.

Seated on the couches were Lori, Harry, Luke, Sarah, Sarah's sister Hannah, and Hadley, along with a few other kids Artemis was pretty friendly with. She took a seat next to Lori while Jackson sat across from her next to Hadley. Hadley smiled shyly at Jackson and he did the same, even blushing a bit.

"So spin the bottle?" Harry asks. He was met with a chorus of no's.

"That is so middle school." Susie, one of the other girls, proclaims. Hannah and Sarah nod in agreement.

"I have an idea, twenty questions. Well, a modified version. Someone will ask a question and then everyone has to answer it. Then the person next to them goes." Lori suggests.

"You're the birthday girl." Artemis says smiling.

"I'll ask first then." Lori states. She looks pensively at the floor for a few moments. "I got it, name your superhero crush."

"That's not a questions." Jackson points out. Lori rolls her eyes.

"Fine. Who is everyone's superhero crush?" Lori asks.

"Easy, Wonder Woman." Luke states. All the girls roll their eyes.

"Typical." Sarah responds. "Mine is probably Arsenal. He's pretty hot." Artemis had to bite her lip to keep herself from spitting out the soda in her mouth. She had an urge to start gagging but she stopped herself. How could anyone find him attractive? Thea simply shrugged whenever she asked her that.

"Local boy." Lori comments. "Mine is Aqualad, swimmers are sexy."

"Are gills included in that package?" Harry questions. Everyone laughs when Lori gently punches him in the shoulder. "Mine is probably Black Canary."

Artemis was considering stopping this before it got weirder. The next thing she knew, somebody would be saying Oliver. If somebody did, she wouldn't be able to hold in her reaction.

"I would have to say Robin." Hadley says. Susie and Hannah nod in agreement. "What about you Artemis?"

"Uh...I guess Kid Flash is kind of hot." Artemis says, blushing. It was different for her since she could potentially meet all these people. Especially Kid Flash who Roy said had a bit of an obsession with him. Artemis didn't get that of course, Roy is as boring as drying paint.

"What about you Jackson?" Lori asks, causing everyone to turn and look at him. He fidgeted in his seat a bit.

"Um...Artemis is pretty hot." This time Artemis couldn't stop herself from spitting out her soda. She began to cough as well. And she thought somebody saying Oliver would be weird. Everyone looked at her funny.

"You okay 'Mis?" Jackson asks, a questioning look on his face.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Artemis says really quickly. "Just swallowed funny." Everyone gives her a weird look.

"Well, I'm going to go get a piece of cake." Jackson says standing up. He was met by a chorus of grab me one too. The next questioner turned out to be Artemis. She quickly thought of a question and listened as everyone answered.

They had gotten through three more questions, before Artemis realized that Jackson still hadn't returned. She looked at Lori and realized that she had noticed as well and was looking around the basement for him. Artemis stood up.

"I'm going to go see wh..." She is interrupted midsentence by a large crash. Across the basement, Artemis spotted a large crowd that had formed. Exchanging a look with Lori, they quickly walked over to the scene, followed by the rest of them. They two of them shoved through the crowd to see Malcolm and Rowan circling Jackson. He had cake smeared across his face and looked close to tears. The food table had been up turned and food smeared the wall and floor, not just Jackson's face.

"Get away from him." Lori states angrily. Luke and Harry come up behind the two of them.

"Yo, you two were not invited." Luke tells the two boys. They just laugh.

"Whatever tiny." Rowan responds. Luke crosses his arms across his chest, glaring menacingly at the two boys. He hated when people commented on his height.

"You heard him, leave." Artemis states defiantly. The two boys laugh again, a sound that was like nails on a chalkboard to Artemis.

"The girls to the rescue again. Can't you do anything for yourself worthless?" Malcolm asks.

"He's not worthless." Hadley pipes up from behind the rest of them. Jackson looks over at her and then away, staring back at the ground.

"Of course he is worthless. He can't do anything for himself. He's a loser." Rowan says, kicking Jackson in the side. That was the final straw for Artemis who launched herself at Rowan.

She walked over to him, deadly calm, and swung. Her fist collided with his nose and he fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding and broken nose. Artemis looked over to Malcolm with steely eyes.

"You got anything else to say?" Artemis asks. Malcolm shakes his head. "Then grab your dumbass friend and leave. I'm sick and tired of dealing with all the shit that comes out of your and Rowan's mouths." Malcolm nodded, grabbing Rowan and pulling him up the stairs behind him. With the two of them gone, the rest of the partygoers cheered and then went back to what they were doing.

Artemis turned to Jackson who was still sitting on the floor. "Come on get up Jackson."

"Why do you always do that?" Jackson asks quietly, staring at the ground. He stands up, making no move to brush the cake off of him. Artemis took a step towards him but he just backed away.

"Do what?" Lori asks, coming up behind Artemis along with Harry.

"Defend me." Jackson says.

"You're one of my best friends Jacks, why wouldn't I defend you?" Artemis questions. "Honestly, you are being ridiculous?"

"Because I'm worthless." Jackson says quietly.

"You're not worthless Jackson." Artemis assures him. "Those guys are idiots, you can't listen to a word they say."

"I doubt they can even define the word worthless." Lori says.

"I know for a fact that they can't spell it." Harry says, smiling reassuringly.

"I think I'm just going to go home. You don't mind right Lori?" Jackson asks her. She shakes her head.

"Alright Jackson. Call me tomorrow though?" Lori asks. He nods. Lori goes over and gives him a hug. She and Harry then walk away to go talk to people. Artemis turns towards him.

"Please don't listen to anything they say Jacks. You mean something to me. You're my best friend." Artemis tells him, placing a hand on his shoulder. She couldn't resist brushing off some cake while she was at it.

"It's too late." Jackson says quietly, looking away from Artemis. He shakes off her hand. She looked at him in confusion.

"What's too late?" Artemis asks him.

"Nothing. I'm going to go home." Jackson tells her. Artemis looks at him curiously.

"Alright. Don't forget, you're coming over tomorrow Jacks."

"I won't." Jackson then hugs her quickly, much to Artemis' surprise. "Love you 'Mis."

"Uh..." Artemis doesn't say anything and Jackson walks away. She knew he didn't mean it literally, but nobody ever told her that they loved her. Not even Oliver. It was...weird. She watched speechlessly as he walked away before rejoining the party.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^

Artemis awoke the next morning to the sound of the doorbell ringing. The loud doorbell echoed throughout the Queen Mansion. Groggily, Artemis got up and walked out of her room, still in her pajamas.

She met Moira in the front hall, who was also going to get the door. Artemis yawned.

"Sorry Moira, that's probably Jackson. I invited him over and he has this thing against sleeping in." Artemis tells her. Moira laughs as she opens the door, the greeting for Jackson dying on her lips as she sees a police officer at the door.

"What can I do for you officer?" Moira asks. Artemis sobers up and walks to the doorway, standing besides Moira. The officer's eyes land on Artemis with sadness. He hands her a letter,

"What is this?" Artemis asks.

"This morning Jackson Cole was found dead in his bedroom. I am very sorry since I know he was a good friend of yours. He left that letter for you." Artemis stared at the officer, her mouth gaping open, trying to comprehend his words. She vaguely realized that Moira had put a hand on her shoulder to try to comfort her, but Artemis barely noticed.

"You mean he...committed sui...He killed himself?" Artemis asks. The officer nods sadly.

"A case has already started since his parents believe that he was bullied. Was this true Artemis?" Artemis nods as the tears begin to fall. "I will come back at another time to question you about it. I am very sorry for your loss."

The officer turned around and left. Artemis sank to the ground, clutching onto the letter and crying.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^

Oliver walked into the living room at Mt. Justice, yawning. He got in late from the mission last night and had crashed at the mountain. Walking out into the joint kitchen and living room, he heard Barry Allen, or the Flash, talking to somebody in the kitchen.

Walking in, He spotted Diggle at the stove cooking breakfast and Barry talking to him.

"Morning." Oliver says.

"Morning." Barry responds.

"Where's Hal?" Oliver asks.

"Already on his way back to Coast City." Barry replies. A phone rang and Barry pulled a cell phone out of the pocket of his pants.

"Barry Allen." He says. He listens for a few moments. "Hey Wally. Yeah, I'll be back in a little while." Pause. "I would love to come to your science fair." Another pause. "Two hours? Kid you need to give me more warnings for these things." Pause. "Yeah, I'll be there in a flash." He hung up the phone.

"You got stop with the cheesy catchphrase." Diggle says. Oliver nods. Barry shrugs.

"Anyways, I got to go. See you guys soon." With that, Barry saluted them and then ran to the zeta beam. A few moments later, Batman appeared from the other side of the zeta beam with Robin close behind.

"Hey guys." Robin says with a smile. "Is Arsenal here?" Oliver chuckled quietly. Both him and Kid Flash seemed to have a bit of an obsession with his sidekick.

"Sorry Rob, he had a date last night." Oliver tells him. Robin's face falls. "I'm sure he'll be around soon." Robin's face brightens. Oliver turns to Batman.

"How's Gotham these days Batsy?" Oliver asks him. He shrugs.

"The same as usual." Batman replies. Diggle's phone suddenly goes off at the same time as Oliver's does. Diggle looks at it first.

"It's Laurel. She say's to get back to Starling City as soon as possible." Diggle says, worry in his voice. A second text message comes in.

"It's Artemis." Oliver reads and without a second thought, is running towards the zeta beam, followed by Diggle. Batman and Robin watched them go, confused and concerned at the same time.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^

_"Hey Artemis." Jackson says. Artemis looks over at him. They were at the beach with Harry and Lori. It was a perfect summer day._

_ "Yeah Jacks?" Artemis asks._

_ "Are you scared to start high school?" Jackson asks. Artemis shakes her head._

_ "No. I mean, it's not like we are changing buildings or anything."_

_ "But we'll be around the older kids and they are kind of scary." Jackson says. Artemis chuckles, putting an arm around her friend._

_ "Don't worry Jacks, I'll protect you." Artemis assures him. _

When Lori called, all they did was cry together. Artemis sitting against the wall in her room and Lori doing the same from her room. Neither had to say anything, they both knew. After fifteen minutes, they finally hung up on each other to cry on their owns. They both heard the unsaid words of the other; they had failed in protecting their friend.

When Oliver came rushing into her room soon after that he saw her curled up in a ball on her bed, staring at a picture of the two of them. She barely looked up when Oliver came in.

"Why?" Artemis asked quietly. Oliver took a seat besides her on the bed, running a hand through her long blonde hair.

"I'm so sorry Artemis."

"Why did people thing it was okay to bully him? Okay to make him feel worthless? Okay to make him feel like he had to give up?" Artemis' voice rose with each question and fresh tears began to fall.

"I don't know Artemis." Oliver says quietly. "Some people just don't realize that what they are doing is wrong or could have the potential to have a greater impact then they thought."

"Why did he give up?" Artemis asked quietly.

"I don't know Artemis." Oliver tells her. "I'm so sorry I don't have any answers for you. But some questions, they just don't have any answers."

"I just want my best friend back." Artemis cried. Oliver wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as she cried. After losing Tommy, he knew there was nothing that could be said to make the pain go away because that pain never ever goes away.

Calling something like this sad isn't even the half of it. An event like this, it is a tragedy. Loosing somebody close to you sucks. It never truly gets better and life never goes back to the way it was before. Oliver knew all of this from experience. He just hated that Artemis had to go through it. He hugged her a little closer, wishing he could make the pain go away, but knowing that it never will.

**A/N: Bullying sucks. I really don't have much to say. See you next week. **


	15. Chapter 12: The Letter

**A/N: Hey Everyone.**

** So this chapter has no action and is pretty much just dealing with everything that happened in the last chapter. After this one, the action level will pick up. One more chapter until Artemis joins the team. **

** I also don't think I will be updating on much of a schedule for the next two weeks. I think I'm going to try to get as much chapters up as I can. So hopefully, I'll have another up on Thursday or Friday. Don't forget to review. Enjoy!**

**The New Archer In Town**

_Chapter Twelve: The Letter_

Artemis woke up that morning with a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. It continued to grow as she put on her uniform and brushed her hair. Walking down the stairs to the kitchen, it grew to the point where she wanted to throw up.

Sitting in the kitchen were Oliver and Laurel. The two had their cups of coffee and were talking quietly to each other. They looked when she entered. She nodded to them, unable to smile, as she wordlessly got a box of cereal from the cabinet and a bowl.

"How you doing kid?" Oliver asked her. Artemis didn't even have the fight in her to say that she wasn't a kid. She just shrugged. Laurel got up and hugged her.

"It's alright Artemis." Laurel assures her. It wasn't though.

Today, December 18, it would have been Jackson's fifteenth birthday. He should be here right now. Artemis should be holding a box of those cookies he loved to bring in to lunch. But no, he isn't here.

Two months later and Artemis still didn't understand. She didn't understand why. It wasn't Jackson. He never seemed depressed, why would he do it? Why did he do it?

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, Artemis took her bowl of cereal and took a seat at the counter. She began eating.

"So Artemis." Oliver starts. "I know you have a lot on your plate right now, but we have some other things we need to talk about."

"What?" She asked.

"You're mom is getting out of jail in a few days." Oliver tells her. Artemis looks at him confused.

"My mom?" Artemis asks in disbelief. Oliver and Laurel nod.

"She got out early for good behavior." Oliver says.

"I can see my mom?" Artemis asks tentatively. It had been so long since she had seen her. Oliver and Laurel nod again.

"I get it if you want to live with your mom again." Oliver comments, obviously with some strain though. He seemed very reluctant to say it.

"I...I don't know. I can't think about it right now." Artemis tells them, no longer having an appetite.

"I understand. When you are ready, we will talk." Oliver says. Artemis nods. Diggle appears in the kitchen.

"Ready to go?" Diggle asks. Artemis nods, picking up her bowl and putting it in the sink. Oliver and Laurel watch her walk out.

"You think she's going to leave?" Laurel asks.

"I don't know. It's her mom. As far as I know, the two of them never had the difficulties she had with her father." Oliver says. Laurel places her hand over his.

"Even if she isn't living with you, she'll still be in your life." Laurel assures him. He looks at her.

"You sure about that?" Oliver asks. Laurel smiles and nods, kissing his cheek.

"I know for a fact. Artemis adores you. You two are bonded together forever." Laurel tells him. She stands up, breaking away from Oliver. "Now I need to get to work. Bye."

"Love you." Oliver says.

"Love you too." Laurel responds. She turns and walks away, greeting Thea along the way as she went.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^

Artemis walked into school, ignoring the stares. Everyone had been staring at her since the event. It was a mix of pity because her best friend had died and a mix of annoyance since her, Lori's, and Harry's testimonies had gotten Malcolm, Rowan, and several other members of the student body expelled for their bullying.

She found Lori sitting on a bench in the courtyard. She took a seat besides her without a word.

"Hey." Lori said looking up from the biology textbook she had been studying from.

"Hey." Artemis replied.

"How are you doing?" Lori asks. Artemis shrugs.

"You?" She asks. Lori shrugs as well.

"Where's Harry?" Artemis asks.

"I haven't seen him. I don't think he's coming in today. You know how much guilt he has about the whole thing." Lori replies. Artemis nods. The two lapse into silence.

"I still can't believe he did it." Artemis says quietly. Lori looks over at her, a funny look on her face.

"You still haven't read your letter have you?" Lori asks. Artemis shakes her head. Lori sighs in frustration. "Will you please just read it already?"

"Why? What is it going to accomplish? He'll still be dead. No letter could give me any sort of explanation that I need from him right now." Artemis says, getting frustrated as well.

"Closure, Artemis. It will accomplish closure. You need some." Lori tells her, beginning to stand up.

"What do you mean by that?" Artemis questions. Lori sighs again.

"You haven't been the same Artemis, you just...sometimes I think you died as well. He made his choice Artemis, we can't die as well. He didn't want that." Lori tells her.

"You act like you never cared!" Artemis retorts back.

"Of course I cared." She fires back. "Jackson was my best friend too."

"Then act like it."

"How do you want me to act Artemis? Like you? All you do is sulk around and glare at people who look at you funny. You're just like you were when you first showed up. I'm trying to move on and remember the good times, while you obviously can't seem to do that."

"I miss him, sue me."

"I miss him too Artemis. I miss him so much it hurts." Lori says, tears in her eyes. Overhead the bell rings but nobody moves to go to class. "But a part of me is also furious at him."

"Why?" Artemis asks, a blank look on her face. "Lori, this is Jackson, how could you be mad at him?"

"Because he gave up, clueless." Lori responds. "He gave up on us, he gave up on everything. He gave up on himself."

Artemis nods. "I think I'm more confused then anything. It just is so not like Jackson, taking his own life. It doesn't sound like the Jackson I knew."

"Read your letter. I tell you, it explains everything." With that, Lori walked away to go to class.

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^

Oliver walked down the familiar hallway at SCSE. Nothing seemed to have changed at all. He knew the route to the office like the back of his hand and as he approached the familiar office, the usual sense of dread he always felt approaching it set in.

"I'm here to see Principle Anderson." Oliver says to the secretary Mrs. Winters. She looked up, giving Oliver a look of annoyance.

"I thought that I was done with you after you graduated, I guess not." Mrs. Winters says sighing. "Go on in to her office, Artemis is already in here. I swear, that girl is so similar to you sometimes."

Oliver walked away from the desk and entered into the familiar room. Miss Anderson had not redecorated since his days at the school. She sat behind her desk and Artemis sat in the chair that Oliver had inhabited so many times.

"Mr. Queen." Miss Anderson says.

"Karen, how are you?" Oliver asks. She gives him a look meaning that she was obviously not pleased. Oliver took the seat next to Artemis that his parents had sat in so many times for both him and Thea.

"We know that in light of the tragic events a few months ago that Artemis has been going through a rough time, but her behavior has become unacceptable." Miss Anderson says. She pulls out a paper. "In the past two months she has skipped class ten times, gotten into three fights in the cafeteria, and has failed several tests. We have been lenient until now. She made a rude comment to her biology teacher. We are giving her a two-day suspension to work out whatever she is feeling. Mr. Queen, I and Miss Franklin, the guidance counselor here, suggest that she see a grief counselor."

Artemis rolls her eyes. "I'm right here." She states indignantly. Oliver just nods.

"We'll look into it. Thank you Karen." With that, Oliver stood up. Artemis did the same, shooting daggers at Miss Anderson as she followed Oliver out the door.

They met Diggle out at the car. He gave Artemis a sympathetic look as she climbed into the back of the car. Oliver followed.

"Artemis, I know what you are going through." Oliver says first as the car begins to pull away.

"Did you have your best friend kill himself?" Artemis asks.

"No, but I did loose my best friend." Oliver says. Artemis' face softens a bit. She looks out the window. "The first few months without Tommy, I was a mess. You feel like part of you is missing right?"

Artemis nods. "I didn't know him as long as you knew Tommy, but Jackson was my best friend."

"You feel guilt wishing you could have done something." Once again, Artemis nods. "You get annoyed with everyone who doesn't seem to be mourning like you, because a wonderful human being was no longer on this Earth and they didn't seem to care."

At this, a small tear escapes from Artemis' eye. "Some people act like he never existed. They never talk about him and just continue on their day like nothing is the matter while everything is." Oliver puts an arm around her.

"And it sucks that people act like that which is why all you want to do is punch them all in the face." Artemis nods. "But the biggest feelings you have are misunderstood and confused. Nobody truly understands how much it hurts. You're the only one in pain. You don't know why it had to be him, why was it your best friend?" Artemis nods again.

"Nobody gets it, not even Lori. He wasn't suicidal, he was Jackson." Artemis tells him. "None of it makes sense."

"It never will. Nobody can ever have a reason for death."

"Does it ever get better?" Artemis asks quietly. Oliver thinks for a moment about this. He missed Tommy and would do anything to go back and change the past. He has lost his dad as well, but Tommy's death; Tommy's death was his fault. He had failed his best friend and it should have been him who died. Oliver still believed all of these things but he wasn't drowning like he was before.

"It does." Oliver tells her. "It takes a while, but slowly but surely it gets a bit better. You'll always have those feelings but slowly they begin to dull to the point where they only haunt every now and then. You'll get numb first but then it will slowly begin to get better. And someday you'll be able to talk about the good times you had with Jackson and no longer focus on the bad."

"When did you start feeling better?" Artemis asked him.

"When you came into my life." Oliver tells her. "I had you to worry about and slowly but surely, Tommy didn't consume every single one of my thoughts. And then I joined the Justice League. Tommy's death will always hurt, but now I can at least remember the good times more then the bad."

Artemis hugs Oliver. "Thank you." She tells him.

"No, thank you." Oliver responds, hugging her tight. For a moment he thought he saw Tommy sitting there in the car with his usual smooth smile on his face. Oliver blinked and it was gone. He smiled.

^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^

Artemis took a deep breath and then picked up the ringing phone. She heard breathing on the other end of the line.

"Artemis."

"Hi mom." Artemis said. A small smile came to her lips before she quickly straightened it out. She felt guilty smiling but Oliver had told her that might stick around for a few more weeks. It had been eight days since her talk with Oliver and since then she had been talking to him a lot. She told him about how she was feeling and he would help her go through the confusion. He said he felt the same way when Tommy died.

She made up with Lori too. They had both agreed that they were both feeling the stress of the day and that neither would take it too personal.

"How...how are you?" Paula Crock asked. This was the first time the two had talked in a few years. They had mostly been communicating through letters. Yesterday, on Christmas day, Paula had been let out of jail.

"I'm...surviving. Oliver has been helping me through a tough time." Artemis tells her. She wasn't sure how she was going to tell her the next part.

"I heard about your friend, Oliver sent me a letter. I am so sorry Artemis."

"Thanks mom."

"He really sounds like a good guy. I'm happy you found him Artemis."

"Me too."

"You should come visit soon. I'm assuming you are on winter break?"

"Yeah I am. I would like that mom. I don't think..." Paula interrupts her.

"Artemis, I love you but I think you should stay with Oliver too."

"How did you know I was going to ask that?" Artemis questions.

"I'm your mother, I just know these things." Paula says. "Don't think you're rid of me though. I expect visits and plenty of phone calls."

"I promise."

"Good."

Artemis talked with her mom a little longer before they ended their call. Artemis went back to doing what she was doing before her mom called, staring at an envelope. On the outside of the envelope, Artemis' name was written in Jackson's typical block handwriting. She looked at the letter, a scared feeling in the bottom of her stomach.

Artemis left her room, carrying the letter in her pocket. She met Diggle and Oliver downstairs, talking. They looked at her as she approached.

"What's up kid?" Oliver asks.

"Can I have a ride to the cemetery? There is something I need to do."

^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^

Finding the grave was the easy part; working up the courage to do what she was about to do was the hard part. She took a seat on the ground next to the grave. A cold December breeze whipped through the air but other then that, there was no indication that it was winter.

Taking a deep breath and working up her courage, she carefully opened the letter, doing her best to preserve the envelope. She pulled out three handwritten pages. Taking another deep breath, she began to read.

_Dear Artemis,_

_ I'm sorry. So sorry. More sorry then I think you will ever realize. _

_ Now I know exactly what you are thinking at this moment, if I am so sorry, then why did I do it? Well isn't that the million dollar question. (Sorry if that sounded rude or sassy or something that you would say. You've rubbed off on me.)_

_ Trying to put into words what I've been feeling for the past few months is really hard. For the past few months all I've felt is scared, empty, and worthless. Scared at what that day would bring me. Empty because I was just so sick and tired of dealing with it all. Worthless for many reasons that I will tell you now because I know you need real answers and that you will never be able to move on with your life if you don't get at least some sort of explanation to give you the semblance of knowing the reasons why I am doing what I am about to do. _

_ I know I never really talk about my family much. I know that you've never really met them either. My family isn't like everyone else's at SCSE, they aren't rich. In a perfect world, that wouldn't matter. Being the scholarship student shouldn't matter. But it does. Money has always been a problem at my house especially when the matter of college comes up. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and I know they love me, but I still can't help the way I've been feeling._

_ I know, we're only fourteen and we shouldn't be worrying about this stuff, but I do. I worry so much that it keeps me up at night. My older brother got a full ride to college because he was a great soccer player. It made things so much easier for my family. But there is still me to worry about. I hate it when people have to worry about me, which is why I always hated when Lori and you defended me. I'm not worth your worry._

_ Sometimes I would sit in the hallway and listen has my parents worried about money for college, for school, and for basic day to day expenses. I tried every sport imaginable to see if I could be as good at it as Rodney is at Soccer. Anything to make things easier for my family. Nothing worked and every time I gave up on a sport, I began to feel more and more hopeless._

_ First it was soccer and we learned I had no hand-eye-foot coordination. Still I tried lacrosse, basketball, baseball, football, rugby, and hockey. I tried cross-country and track, but I was always injured and I fell a lot. Badminton, tennis, and squash were all no's as well. I even tried archery of all things, but nothing worked._

_ With every failure, I felt more and more worthless. Getting a scholarship to SCSE just showed me that while I am a pretty good student, I'm not a genius, ruling out any other sort of full ride scholarship. People made fun of me for the fact I didn't have as much money. What kind of world is this that you have to have money to be accepted? Not a world that I want to live in._

_ By seventh grade all I felt was sadness and worthless. The bullying just made everything worse; it made me feel even more worthless that I couldn't do anything to stop it. I thought about taking my own life but I never let it show. I didn't want to be a burden anymore because that was all I felt like to people._

_ And then you came._

_You sat down at my lonely table and you made me happy. It had been so long since I had felt happy. You also scared me a bit at first, but I saw past that indifferent attitude of yours. You were just like someone out of a novel, someone that I always wished I could be. But I'm not a hero like you are. You're my hero._

_ For the past two years Artemis, you have made me feel less like a burden, less worthless, less lonely, less scared and less empty. Because of you I had friends. You gave me everything I've ever wanted and I thank you for that. None of what I am about to do involves you in anyway._

_ I know my actions will never make sense to you. I know this explanation probably isn't the best, but I just can't do it anymore Artemis. I'm so tired of feeling worthless. I was tired of feeling empty. I was tired of showing up to school everyday scared. You're only one person Artemis, and I know you tried to scare away as many bullies as possible, but they didn't all go away. _

_ I'm tired of dealing with it all, of living in this damn world. Fourteen and I'm already exhausted, bitter, and jaded. Being called worthless tonight, it just brought everything back. Every emotion that I had ever felt, crashed into me like a tidal wave. I realized that I've been drowning, for years. Sorry for the terrible and corny analogy, but you were a boat that pulled me above the water. But tonight, I went right back under and I saw no chance of reaching the surface again. _

_ You'll never understand truly why I have to do this, but I hope this helps a little. I don't want you to spend too much time thinking about worthless Jackson. I'm not worth it Artemis, move on with your life._

_ Now, don't you dare blame yourself Artemis. You did everything you could and honestly, for two years you succeeded in making me feel worth something. But it was only a matter of time. This was always meant to be my fate, there was nothing you or anyone could have done. Thank you for two almost perfect years though. You gave me hope for this world, if only for a little while. _

_ I admit, sitting here alone in my room, I'm a bit scared. But I know that I have to do this. I just don't want to keep living in this world anymore Artemis. I don't want to be drowning anymore. I don't want to be scared. I don't want to be empty. I don't want to feel worthless. I don't want to feel like a burden. I don't want to feel anything anymore. _

_ Once again I repeat, this has nothing to do with you. This is all me. _

_ Artemis, you are one of the best human beings I have ever had the pleasure to meet. You are a bit rough, cold, and off putting on the outside, but on the inside you are caring and warm. You're courageous and stand up for what you believe in and for those of us who are too scared to stand up for ourselves. You're not afraid to speak your mind. Don't let whatever dark past you have keep you from enjoying your life. I know you have some sort of secret Artemis that makes you the way you are. Don't let it hold you back. You deserve to be the happiest person in the world. You deserve to be loved. You deserve every good thing this world has to offer. I'm sorry I won't be able to see you get everything you deserve. My biggest regret about all of this is leaving you, my best friend. Just know that I am always there for you, even if its just in idea._

_You're a good person Mis, never let anyone change that. _

_ Good-bye,_

_ Jackson_

Artemis dropped the last piece of paper on top of the other two. She wiped her eyes. She couldn't believe she had never seen it before, how truly sad Jackson was. He hid it well though.

She picked up the letter and carefully folded it back into the envelope. She placed it in the inside pocket of her jacket.

In some way, Lori was right. She did feel a bit of closure from the letter. Now she had to live her life for herself and Jackson. He would always be her best friend though, no matter what. In two short years, they had made a bond that would never be broken.

"Goodbye Jacks. I never said it that night, but I love you too. I always will." She said as she left the grave to go back to the car.

**A/N: I hope that wasn't too heartbreaking. I tried really hard to make the letter perfect, I cried a bit while writing it. I promise, next chapter will not be as sad as the past two. Until next time.**


	16. Chapter 13: The Confrontation

**A/N: So this chapter is dedicated to the announcement of Arrow having the Flash/Barry Allen in season two! Guys, I am so excites about this. One because I love the Flash, and two this means we could get Wally in Arrow! And three, this will also pave the way for other superheroes to come. We've had a lot of DC villains guest star in Arrow, but not a lot of heroes. This is so awesome. Plus, Oliver and Barry just have such different personalities. It is going to be Legend...wait for it...ary!**

** What do you guys think about the news? **

** Anyways, this is the last chapter before Artemis joins the team (!) It is pretty much two chapters I had planned out, squished into one since I couldn't really think of a full chapter for each idea. It is June in the story, Artemis is fifteen. Not sure when I will get the next chapter up so stay tuned. Enjoy!**

**The New Archer in Town**

_Chapter 13: The Confrontation_

Over the years, Jade Nguyen had prepared for almost anything. She had prepared for skydiving from a plane 10,000 feet in the air. She had prepared for sneaking into fancy dinners and blending in. She had prepared to kill anyone and everything. She was not ready though for what she saw that day in Starling City.

It was June and much to her disdain, the shadows had assigned her on a mission in Starling City with Sportsmaster, her least favorite person in the world. She had been following the man whom they had been sent to kill for the past two hours and so far he was as boring as a glass as milk.

Sometime around three, Jade stopped. She took a seat on a nearby bench, writing down on a note in her phone everything she had observed about him. She already knew Crusher probably had something up his sleeve, but Jade was the more quiet killer. She would sneak into a house, cut his or her throat, and be gone before anyone knew what had happened. Crusher wasn't as subtle.

"I can't believe you have a date." A girl's voice says.

"It's only Gabe Dean. I mean, I thought he liked Molly?" Another girl's voice replied. Something about the voice made Jade look up though. Her eyes landed on two girls in identical school uniforms walking towards the bench. One of them had auburn hair, but the other...had long blonde hair and Asian features, just like her little sister.

Jade continued to look calm and cool, but on the inside, she couldn't believe it. She hadn't seen her little sister in...years. Somehow she had ended up here in Starling City. Judging by the uniform, she went to the fancy private school she had spotted up the street. She looked not quite happy, but happy enough.

"He totally does. I think he's mostly asking you to make Molly jealous, but not the less, it's a date." Artemis' friend states.

"Wow, reassuring Lori." Artemis says with an eye roll.

"You know what I mean. Artemis, you're going out. You said yes, you're finally beginning to move on with your life." Lori says. "We all are. I think Harry might ask me to the end of the year dance next Friday after finals."

"That's great Lori." Artemis says. The two girls walked past Jade, barely giving her a second glance. Of course, her hat hid her features from Artemis so there was no reason for them to give her a second glance.

"I know. I'm so excited. I mean, I miss Jackson, but I'm also happy that things are starting to go back to normal." Lori says.

"Well, as normal as things can be without Jackson here." Artemis says. Their voices began to fade, as they got further away. Jade continued to sit there on the bench. Artemis would notice her if she tried to follow them. Instead she just sat there, the realization that her sister was in the same city as her for the first time in years, hitting her like a ton of bricks.

"You knew Artemis was here didn't you?" Jade accuses Crusher as she walked into their hideout. He was sitting on the couch, cleaning his weapons. He looks up at her with a knowing smile.

"I see you found the missing Crock girl." Sportsmaster taunts.

"Is this why you requested for me to be your partner on this mission?" Jade asks.

"She's changed little girl. She's not Artemis Crock anymore, she's Artemis Queen." Sportsmaster tells her.

"She's still my sister." Jade states.

"Since when did that ever matter to you?" Lawrence Crock asks, putting down his weapon. "Every girl for herself right?"

Jade was so annoyed that she reached out and slapped him before walking away. He had a point though. She had abandoned her little sister. She had no right to care about her now. With a sigh, Jade went over to her things, picking up the Cheshire mask.

^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^

Artemis looked at herself in the mirror. Once again, Lori had convinced her to wear a green skirt of hers and a white tank top. Artemis kept her hair in a high ponytail though.

"I look like you." Artemis states.

"Well you are wearing my clothes." Lori tells her.

"Why am I looking like you again?" Artemis asks. Lori shrugs.

"Hey, you asked for my help." Lori says. She looks at her watch. "Looks like I got to go. Harry is picking me up at the end of your driveway."

"What are you two up to tonight?" Artemis asks, raising her eyebrows.

"Not what you are thinking of. We're going to a movie with Luke, Sarah, and Hadley."

"Oh. Wait..."

"No, we're going to the movie theater on the east side of town. We're not going to be stalking your date." Lori tells her, rolling off of Artemis' bed. "Well, good luck my friend. Call me tonight."

Artemis nods and with that, Lori walks out of her bedroom and down towards the front hall. On her way, she encountered Oliver.

"Hey Oliver." Lori says. He had made her stop calling him Mr. Queen almost immediately. Oliver looks up from the newspaper he was reading.

"Hello Lori. Where are you off too?" Oliver asks.

"Movies." She tells him.

"Oh, is Artemis not going along?" Oliver asks.

"Nope. She has...err...other plans." Lori says. Oliver looks like he is about to ask another question but Lori darts for the door. "Bye Oliver." She closes the door behind her. Oliver looks at the door as she goes in confusion. A few moments later, Artemis appears at the top of the staircase in Lori's clothes and something begins to click in his head.

"No." Oliver states. Artemis looks at him in confusion.

"What?" Artemis asks.

"You're going on a date and I am telling you that you can't." Oliver states. Artemis rolls her eyes and walks down the stairs. Stewart, one of the security guys appears.

"You ready to go Miss Crock?" He asks her. She nods at the same time Oliver shakes his head.

"No way. Go up and tell..." Oliver trails off.

"His name is Gabe."

"Go tell Gabe you can't go. You're sick or something." Artemis rolls her eyes again.

"Come on Oliver, it's one date at a movie theater, not a night in a hotel." Artemis says bluntly. If Oliver had been drinking anything, it would have gone flying out of his mouth. He sputtered, looking at a lost for words. Artemis smiled.

"I'll be back by eleven." Artemis tells him, walking out the door with Stewart by her side. Oliver stood in the hallway, motionless. Thea appeared, holding a glass of water. She stopped when she spotted her brother.

"Uh, something wrong?" Thea asked.

"Artemis is not allowed to date." Oliver simply states. Thea laughs at that.

"Oh Ollie." She simply says, taking a sip of water.

"What are you doing Speedy?" Oliver asks, trying to distract himself.

"Studying. I have my last final tomorrow. Roy is coming over in a little bit to help me study." Thea tells him. She had started at Starling City University last year and was just about to finish her sophomore year. She was even thinking about moving into her own apartment next year, maybe even with Roy. Course, she hadn't told Oliver that part of her plan yet.

"Just make sure you guys are actually studying." Oliver tells her. Thea rolls her eyes.

"Alright Ollie. By the way, Laurel is here. I saw her car driving up a few moments ago in the kitchen." And with that, Thea disappeared upstairs and there was a knock on the door.

"Hey." Laurel says as Oliver opens the door. She leans over and kisses his cheek, walking into the house. "I just saw Artemis leaving for her date, isn't that so exciting?"

"You knew?" Oliver asks her. She nods.

"She told me yesterday when I drove her home from school when you were on that mission with Hal, Batman, and Diana." Laurel says. "The one that you guys wouldn't let me come on."  
Two months ago, Laurel had joined the league along with Zatara, Captain Adam, Captain Marvel, Red Tornado, and Green Lantern (John Stewart). She had fit right in and was enjoying every minute of it. Diggle had also picked a hero persona, Guardian, but had yet to join the league. Felicity had even begun to do some tech stuff for the league, much to the pleasure of Nathaniel Adams/Cameron Scott, or Captain Atom. They had bonded pretty quickly after his induction,

The league had one through some other changes as well. Mount Justice was discovered due to the carelessness of Snapper Carr, and their new hideout was the hall of justice/ the watchtower. The people thought it was the hall of justice but the watchtower was their secret space station of sorts. It was pretty cool.

They had also begun more of a relationship with the UN and the United States government. Batman had also become the new leader of the league with the induction of the new people. Really, a lot had changed in the two years since the formation and Oliver's joining of the league.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Oliver asks.

"Because I knew you would act like this." Laurel says. "Ollie, honey, its one date. She's fifteen."

"Still." Oliver says. An idea pops into his head. "Diggle!"

Diggle appears from another part of the house where he had been talking with a few other security guards. He looks over at Oliver and Laurel curiously as he approached.

"What's up?" He asks.

"You feel like going to a movie tonight?" Oliver asks. Diggle looks confused while Laurel looked horrified.

"No. No way Ollie. Get that idea out of your head right now." Laurel states. Diggle looks between the two of them confused.

"Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" He asks.

"Oliver wants you to accompany him on crashing Artemis' first date." Laurel tells him.

"Oh." Diggle says. "I'll do that." Laurel face palms.

"No. I won't let you. I will call her and warn her." Laurel says. "Don't you dare." Laurel's phone rings. She bends down to fish it out of her handbag and then walks across the front hall to answer it. Diggle turns to Oliver.

"We're still doing this right? Got to make sure he isn't a punk." Diggle says. He had begun to think of Artemis as a semi daughter as well in the past three years. Of course, not as much as Oliver. He was still protective of her though.

Oliver nods. "We just need to ditch Laurel. Even if she calls and warns Artemis, we'll just get Felicity on the case of finding her."

"She would take Laurel's side though. So we would need to keep our intentions a secret from her." Diggle adds.

"I like the way you think Dig." Oliver says. Laurel rejoins them, putting her cell phone in her bag.

"Looks like I need to go back to the office to review some court files." Laurel says. She looks to Oliver. "Don't you dare ruin this for Artemis. If I hear any sort of report of tampering by either of you two, there will be consequences." And with that, Laurel walked out the door.

Oliver and Diggle exchanged looks. "You buy the tickets and I'll get the popcorn." Diggle says.

"Sounds like a plan. We also need some disguises." Oliver says.

"Leave that to me." Diggle says with an evil grin.

^^^^Line Break^^^^

"So why do you have trench coats in your house?" Oliver asks. He looked like some cheesy detective from a black and white film. He got some funny looks from civilians as he walked past in a trench coat and black hat that probably belonged on a twenties mobster.

"Long story." Diggle says, looking similar to Oliver. The two of them took their seats in the back of the theater. Artemis and her date were a few rows in front of them. They seemed to be talking, every now and then one of them would laugh. Oliver picked up his phone when he heard the familiar ring.

"Where are you and Diggle at the moment?" Felicity asks.

"Hello to you too." Oliver says. "Shouldn't you be on a date with the Cap?"

"Don't change the subject. Laurel called me. If you two are at the movie theater at the moment right now so help me..."

"You're breaking up. Bye Felicity." Oliver says turning off his phone. Turning to Diggle, "Felicity is on to us."

"Hey, this is our duty as her guardians."

"Well, I'm her guardian."

"And I'm your bodyguard, making me her guardian as well." Diggle finishes. Oliver didn't quite follow his train of thought, but he went with it. The theater darkened and the movie turned on.

"So what are we looking for exactly? What are you suspecting to happen during this date." Diggle asks.

"Didn't you ever take a girl to the movie theater on a date? I did and I do not want a single thing that I used to do, happening to Artemis." Oliver says.

"I did, but we watched the movie. The worst I did was put an arm around her." Diggle says.

"I'm younger then you, I'm more in touch with these things." Oliver tells him. Diggle rolls his eyes.

"Whatever Oliver." Diggle says. The two don't even know what the movie is about, instead the two watched the couple. And...nothing happened. They sat in their seats watching the movie. All hands were kept to themselves and except for the occasional comment they made to each other; no one would have ever guessed that they were even there together.

Oliver felt his phone vibrate. He picked it up to see a text message from Felicity.

_Security system at Mason Donovan's house was tripped. Police heard screams. Check it out?_

Oliver tapped Diggle and showed him the message. He then pointed towards the exit and Diggle nodded. They slowly made their way out of their theater back out to the main lobby.

"You have our stuff?" Oliver asks.

"In the car."

"We have coordinates?" Oliver questions as they quickly made their way across the lobby. Diggle's cell phone dinged.

"Just got them."

"Any deaths yet?" Oliver asks.

"I don't know. Felicity is waiting for more information as we speak." Diggle says. Neither of them noticed the girl come up besides them.

"So we have any idea who it is?" Artemis questions. Diggle and Oliver come to a stop when they see her there.

"What are you doing? How'd you know we were here?" Oliver asks. "You have a date." Artemis rolls her eyes.

"I've been trained to notice things and take in all of my surroundings since I was five. You think I didn't notice you guys when you came in?" Artemis asks. "Plus, Felicity texted me. She told me about the security breach and that you two were most likely sitting in the back of the theater confirming my suspicions."

"Are you mad?" Diggle asks as they walk out of the lobby to the parking lot.

"Yes. I will make you both pay later. But for now, I am happy for an escape. Gabe's a nice guy, but he doesn't know when to shut up." Artemis states, bringing a smile to Oliver and Diggle's faces as they got into the car and drove off towards their location.

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^

"Stupid guards." Sportsmaster grumbles as he throws aside another body. Cheshire does the same.

"We need to get to our initiative before Green Arrow shows up." Cheshire states.

"You go, I'll handle broken arrow." Sportsmaster says. Cheshire pulls out a Sais and is about to make a beeline for the stairs when an arrow shot out, knocking her Sais onto the hardwood floor of the ground floor of Donovan Manor. The lights are shut off.

"Broken arrow, that's a new one." A voice says from an above rafter. Cheshire pulls out another Sai and Sportsmaster pulls out a javelin.

"You can't take both of us on archer." Cheshire sneers.

"Who says he is alone?" A second voice says to the left of Sportsmaster. This one was familiar to the two of them. Angered, Sportsmaster throws the javelin. He is only met by laughter. "Need to do better then that, dad."

The lights come back on, just in time for Sportsmaster to see his youngest daughter roundhouse kick him in the face. Artemis smirks, notching an arrow in her bow. She launches the explosive arrow at Cheshire. She didn't think much of the girl with her father, probably just another assassin. She wanted her father. Oliver can take care of the girl.

"I've been waiting for this." Artemis says, notching another arrow. Sportsmaster stands up, laughing.

"Me too baby girl." With that, Sportsmaster pulls out a javelin, launching it at Artemis. She back flipped out of the way and then shot towards him. She elbowed him in the stomach and then used her bow to hit him in the face. It didn't stop there though. Artemis continued to pummel her father. Hit after hit, ducking and moving out of his reach whenever he would try to counterattack.

Sportsmaster fell to the floor, bleeding from several cuts and a broken nose. Artemis had one cut herself on her cheek, but that was it. She shot out a foam arrow, making him unable to move. On the other side of the room, Cheshire and Oliver were still locked in battle.

"Well done baby girl. Finish the job now." Sportsmaster says. He watched her, a taunting look in his eyes.

"I don't know why you have that look on your face right now dad. I'm not the one unable to move." Artemis says, notching one of the few sharp arrows she had.

"You going to do it? Are you going to kill me?" Sportsmaster asks. Artemis pulls the bow taunt, but then loosens it, her face falling.

"I'm a hero, I don't do that." Artemis states.

"Then you are even more foolish then I thought." Sportsmaster states.

"I'm a good person, unlike you." Artemis tells him.

"What's the point in being good when you loose?" Sportsmaster asks. "Whether you like it or not Artemis, you're a Crock. The name will always follow you. Do you honestly think other heroes will accept you when they hear who your family is?"

"They will." Artemis responds.

"Yeah right. They'll think that you are a traitor. How would they be able to trust you with a last name like Crock?" Sportsmaster taunts.

"I'm not a Crock, I'm a Queen." Artemis states.

"You'll always be a Crock on the inside, where it really matters. There is no escaping who you are Artemis, it will always come back to bite you in the butt." Sportsmaster says. Anger flashes in Artemis' eyes and she is about to kick him in the head when Diggle appears.

"Donovan is safe." He states. He holds up a gun. "I will shoot if I have to. I know where to shoot without killing."

"Well played Arrow." Cheshire purred, her eyes landing on a crazed and angry Artemis.

"Stop playing with them Cheshire and get us out of here." Sportsmaster states. Cheshire sighs before pulling out a smoke bomb. She throws it on the ground, distracting Oliver, Diggle, and Artemis.

When the smoke cleared, the two villains were gone.

^^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^^

_Her father's voice followed her as she ran. No matter how far she got, it still followed her. _

_"You'll always be a Crock."_

_ "How would they be able to trust you with a last name like Crock?"_

_ "They'll think that you are a traitor."_

_ "There is no escaping who you are?"_

_ Each word physically hurt her, biting at her skin as she ran. She didn't know where she was running, just away. Far away from her past and from her family. If she could just get far away from all of it, then nobody would have to know and she could just be Artemis. _

_ "You'll always be a Crock."_

_ "NO! I'M ARTEMIS!" She shouted, coming to a stop. "I'M ARTEMIS!"_

"Artemis? Wake up kid." Oliver's voice says, interrupting her dream. Artemis sat up in her bed, looking over at Oliver. He smiled softly.

"You alright kid? I thought we were over all of this?" He jokes. Artemis shakes her head.

"Will people not accept me as a hero because of who my father is?" Artemis asks.

"What makes you think that? Did Sportsmaster say something?" Artemis nods. "Don't listen to a single word he says Artemis, none of it is true."

"But what if he is right? I'm related to a family of villain!" Artemis says, flopping back against her pillow. "Ollie?"

"Yeah Artemis?"

"Laurel said that you might consider letting me go on some league missions. When I do, can we not tell them who my family is? Can I just be Artemis Queen? I can be your niece or something."

Oliver wanted to protest, but looking at how hopeful she was, he couldn't say no. "Sure Artemis, you could be my niece or something."

**A/N: And finish. Sorry if the fight scene was a bit rushed, I was more focused on the conversation between them then the actual fighting. So yeah, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review. **


	17. Chapter 14: The Team

**A/N: Wow, has it really been like a month since I last updated? Where does the time go?**

**I'm really really sorry guys that this is so late. I couldn't figure out how to start this chapter and then I got really busy between working, the crapload of summer work I have, and lots of family and friends visiting the past three weeks. I also got my wisdom teeth out a few days ago and that was very painful and I couldn't really concentrate on writing. That pushed back this update a few days. I am super sorry. **

** Also to clear stuff up, Artemis imagines Jackson sometimes when she needs to think or talk about something. So he's pretty much her conscience. That happens a few times this chapter and will happen more in the future. This is my way to kind of keep his character in the story a bit. Tell me what you think of it. Is it to weird? Should I not do it?**

** Also, important note at the end of the chapter so please read it. **

**The New Archer in Town**

_Chapter Fourteen: The Team_

"Artemis, I think you know why I am here." Batman says. He stood besides Oliver, the two of them facing Artemis who was sitting in Felicity's usual chair in front of her computer.

"That doesn't sound ominous at all." Artemis responds, nervously. Batman holds something out in front of her.

"Does this look familiar?" Batman asks. Artemis stared at her arrow. She realized then that they were really on to her. "What was this doing at a crime scene in Gotham City?"

"I did a little patrolling after my visit with my mom a few days ago." Artemis admits. Oliver sighs.

"Artemis, you know that you're only supposed to patrol in Starling City." Oliver lectures.

"Sorry. I hadn't done anything but then I saw this guy getting thrown into the Gotham Academy gym. My curiosity got the best of me." Artemis says shrugging. "It was a good thing to, I saved Kid Flash from getting crushed."

"Batman and I have talked Artemis." Oliver begins. She feels a sinking feeling in her gut at his tone. This was not going to be good. "And we've decided that what's best for you would be to join..."

"Don't make my join the regular citizens!" Artemis interrupts. "Please! I'm a hero." Batman and Oliver exchange looks. Oliver was smiling and even Batman had a small almost grin. Confused, Artemis continued to observe them.

"If you would let me finish, you would have heard me tell you that we've decided to let you join the team." Oliver says.

"The team?" Artemis asks in confusion.

"Back in July we initiated a new program in the Justice League, a secret stealth team of young teenagers like yourself." Batman explains.

"That's who you saw in Gotham City." Oliver tells them. Artemis sits in the seat, speechless.

"You mean you want me?" She asks. Oliver nods.

"The team needs an archer, you're the best for the job." Batman tells her.

"I get to be a part of a team?" Artemis asks again, still in awe. Oliver smiles and turns to Batman.

"That's a yes." Oliver tells him.

"Good. Come by the cave tomorrow to meet the rest of the team." With that, Batman walked away towards Oliver's zeta beam. Once he was gone, Artemis pops up out of her chair.

"I get to be part of a team!" She shouts happily. She throws her arms around Oliver. "Thank you, thank you Ollie."

"No problem kid." Oliver tells her.

"This is so exciting. I recognized Kid Flash, Robin, and Aqualad but who were the other two members of the team?"

"Miss Martian and Superboy. From what Laurel has told me, Superboy is a bit of a handful but Miss Martian is very sweet." Oliver tells her.

"Laurel knew about this as well?" Artemis asks. Oliver nods.

"She trains the team."

"She does?"

Oliver nods. "Batman also leads the team and Red Tornado stays at the mountain to look over all of them when they are there." Oliver paused, watching as she processed all the information.

"This is awesome." Artemis stated. She looked at Oliver. "You're still in agreement to call me your niece right?" Oliver nods. "Perfect."

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^

Artemis stood nervously besides Oliver as Batman contacted the team to tell them to arrive. She made sure she appeared confident though. Robin was the first one to approach her.

"Artemis, what's hopping?" He asks smiling. He was taller since she last saw him, but that was kind of expected. It had been a few years.

"I'm joining the team." She says softly. It still felt weird to say. She Artemis Crock, was now a full fledged member of a team of teen heroes, like her.

"Really?" Robin asks, his eyes brightening. "That is awesome. We've needed an archer. We were hoping that Arsenal would join since he's a pretty good archer now and all but he refused. Plus, you're obviously a better choice for an archer since that's your main weapon."

"Sounds like moody Roy." Artemis comments. Oliver gives her a look. "What?"

"Be kind to the kid, kid. He very well might become my brother-in-law." Artemis elbows him for the comment of her being a kid. The rest of them team appears.

"Whose this?" A tall boy with black hair asks gruffly as he appears in the large room, crossing his arms across his chest. It didn't hide the familiar red S on his shirt though. Artemis raised her eyebrows. She couldn't help notice that he was quite good-looking and obviously very strong if he was somehow related to Superman.

Besides him appeared a green skinned Martian girl and a dark skinned Atlantean. The Atlantean was the one to approach her first.

"Hello, I am Kaldur'ahm, also known as Aqualad, the leader of this team." He introduces himself as. The green skinned Martian is next.

"Hi! I'm M'gann M'orzz, but my human name is Megan Morse. You can call me either, or just Miss Martian." She says excitedly. She points to the tall black haired boy. "This is Superboy." He doesn't say anything, but continues to look at everyone in the room with a glare on his face. He reminded her of Roy a bit.

"Art-" Artemis' introduction is cut off by a robotic voice announcing the arrival of Kid Flash. A familiar boy with red hair appeared running through the zeta beam, carrying beach gear in his hands.

"The Wallman is here. Now let's get this party start-" He trails off as he trips over his own two legs. "Ed." Artemis was beyond shocked to see Wally, the boy who had followed her around for a day from Central City when they were in middle school, was Kid Flash. The two had lost touch, but she still remembered him. He had definitely filled out nicely she noted as she stared him up and down. She was not about to show her surprise. She was in her costume, meaning he didn't know who she was.

"Wallman huh? Love the uniform, what exactly are your powers?" Artemis said, smirking. Oliver stifled a laugh besides her.

"Uh, who is this?" Wally asks, approaching his teammates. Artemis continued to smirk, having some fun with this.

"Artemis, your new teammate." She said, introducing herself to Wally and the rest of them. She saw a flash of puzzlement in his eyes as he stared at her, seeming to be trying to remember who she was. It was gone quickly, replaced by the cold look in his eyes.

"Kid Flash, never heard of you." He responds. Artemis looked over at Oliver, giving him a pointed look. He smiles sheepishly, before stepping towards the group, away from Batman and Oliver.

"Uh, she's my new protégé." Oliver says, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. He could already tell that things were about to head south by the look on the boy's face.

"What happened to your old one?" Wally asks looking at Oliver. He let out a small inaudible sigh, remembering how much the kid idolized Roy. Oliver takes a deep breath and is about to speak when suddenly the zeta beam whirls to life and Roy walks in. Well this was just great. He looked surprised to see Artemis there since they hadn't told him about her joining the team.

"Roy. You're here." Oliver says dumbly. Artemis crosses her arms over her chest, glaring at Roy. Oliver could tell that this was going to go downhill very fast.

"What's she doing here?" Roy asks. The last he heard, Artemis wasn't allowed to do anything league related.

"You know her?" Wally asks, walking over to stand besides his idol. He looks at Artemis. "Who are you?"

"My niece." Oliver says at the same time Artemis says, "I'm his niece." They look at each other and then away.

"Another niece?" Robin says speaking up. He crosses his hands across his chest, giving them a curious look. Artemis glares at him, while silently begging him not to say anything. She didn't want anyone to know about her bad roots.

"You are always welcome on this team." Kaldur says at that moment, approaching his friend. "We have no quota on archers."

"And if we did, you know who we would pick." Wally says, glaring at Artemis. Artemis took a step forward. She was not about to have this red headed dweeb who she once thought of as a friend insult her.

"Whatever Baywatch, I'm here to stay." Artemis says, crossing her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowed at him. Oliver couldn't help but smile a bit, proud of her for standing her ground. He looked over at Roy, the two of them having a silent conversation with looks.

Artemis watches as the conversation switches to the abduction of Sterling Rocquette. She blocks them all out until she hears the words, "League of Shadows." Suddenly her interests in the conversation went way up. She exchanged looks with Oliver.

"You want us to rescue her?" Robin asks.

"I already rescued her." Roy states. Artemis rolls her eyes. Of course he did, Roy was good at everything and can even take on the shadows on his own. She would show him someday. Artemis' mind wondered again as Roy began to talk about the weapon.

Her mind went to its usual place, Jackson. She pictured her friend in her head, bringing a small smile to her face. He would have been super excited to learn about this.

"You would have been a great hero Jacks." Artemis says in her thoughts to him.

"Well you're already a kick ass one. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Sorry Jacks. Secret identities exist for a reason."

"Anyways, this is so cool. You're joining a hero squad!"

"I know Jacks." She thinks, a small smile coming to her face.

"Artemis, you should pay attention." Jackson tells her. Suddenly, Jackson faded away and Artemis was back in the present. She kept a bored expression on her face as she listened in. Deciding to cut in, she speaks up.

"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, power brokering, yeah, sounds like the shadows." Artemis looked at her feet.

"Like you know anything about the shadows." Wally says, drawing Artemis' eyes towards him. Artemis just smiled in his direction, raising an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

Roy begins to talk again and Artemis tunes him out like she always does. She really gets sick of his annoying voice at family dinners sometimes. What Thea sees in him, she will never know. She tunes in again when Oliver talks. She could tell that he felt guilty about not telling Roy about her joining before hand.

"You left her alone?" Oliver questions.

"She's safe enough for now." Roy says.

"Alright, well you brought this to the team. It's a team mission now." Oliver says. Roy looks at Oliver, standing behind Oliver.

"So this is her mission now too?" Roy questions.

"Stop being an asshole." Artemis finally says. The rest of the team gasps surprised that she didn't kiss the ground he walked on like they all obviously did. Artemis rolls her eyes, taking a step towards Roy. "You're acting like a spoiled child right now! Aren't you supposed to be the adult? I honestly don't see..."

Oliver clamps his hand over Artemis' mouth before she could say anything else. She spins around looking at Oliver and then the untrusting looks of her new "teammates". Roy doesn't say anything else, just walks towards the zeta beam, leaving the mountain.

Her new teammates all looked like they wanted to run after him, wanting him there way more then they wanted her. A pang hit her hard in the chest and she turned away walking away from the group.

"Call me when this mission starts." Artemis calls over her shoulder. She had a brief idea of where she was going from the short tour she got but it didn't matter if she got lost, as long as she got away from them.

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^

Oliver looked around at the faces of the young heroes. They all had similar expressions, a mix of confusion and questioning. While they all looked to Batman for answers, Oliver sneaked away from the group, going in the direction that Artemis went.

Sure enough, he found her very quickly in the training room. She wasn't training, just sitting in the middle of the floor, looking around. He stood very quietly, listening when he heard her speak.

"They hate me." She says. She pictured Jackson sitting across from her, wearing his dorky periodic table shirt.

"They don't hate you." Jackson argues.

"Yes they do."

"They don't trust you." Jackson counters. She snorts.

"You can say that again. This is exactly why I can't tell them about my family. They would hate me even more." Artemis says. She sighs. "I wish this was easy. I wish they would just welcome me with open arms."

"Put yourself in their situation. You would react the same."

"Artemis?" The image of Jackson faded and Artemis spun around to see Oliver standing in the doorway with a funny expression on his face. "Whom were you talking to?"

"Myself. Well, I was pretending I was talking to Jackson." Artemis tells him. Oliver walks over, taking a seat across from her on the ground.

"Do you do this a lot?" Oliver asks. She shrugs. "Should I be concerned?"

"No. I know he's not there. I just, sometimes I need to figure stuff out for myself in my head and it helps to picture telling it to Jackson." Artemis says. She changes the subject. "So why are you here?"

"I wanted to talk to you about what just happened." Oliver says, watching as Artemis' shoulders slumped.

"Not much to say. They hate me." Artemis states. "They wish I was Roy."

"They do." Oliver says. "I'm not going to lie to you and tell you they don't. But they don't know anything about you. They think Roy is a better archer, an all around weapons." Artemis laughs at that.

"Do they know him at all? He's fine with stationary targets but he's still only like fifty-fifty with moving targets. It takes years to gain the skill with the bow you and I have." Artemis says. Oliver smiles.

"That it does. Give them a chance. They are all pretty good kids. Even Kid Flash." Artemis laughs at that.

"Doubt it."

"And they'll come around to you."

"Again, doubt it." Artemis says, standing up. Oliver does as well, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Don't be so down on yourself Artemis. You are an amazing kid and an equally amazing archer. Don't let their distrust and words get to you. You know who you are, don't let anything change that. If I didn't think you were ready for this, I wouldn't have brought you in to join them." Oliver tells her. Artemis spins around, wrapping her arms around Oliver.

"Thank you. I needed to hear that." Artemis says. Oliver puts his arms around her. "Oh, and I'm not a kid."

"You'll always be one to me." Oliver tells her with a smile on his face.

^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^

Artemis was pissed off. This whole night had been going terribly. First, she had to deal with Wally. She didn't know what drugs she was on when she was twelve, but the guy was a first rate idiot. She seriously wondered how they were friends. Then she had made some comment about Superboy in her head that everyone had heard thanks to the stupid mind link and then to cover her embarrassment up, she angered Miss Martian who was probably the most welcoming member of the team. And then, Cheshire got away, earning her Wally's blame. Oh, and the Shadows destroyed a Star lab building.

This first mission was really going well.

She lay on the floor, dazed from the punch she had taken from Hook's hook. She remembered when this guy had come over for dinner once when she was little, now she was fighting him. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the leader, Cheshire, running out. She got up quickly, following after her.

"Pursuing their leader." She shouted over her shoulder to Wally and Miss Martian. "Take the rest down."

"You are so not the boss of me!" Wally shouted after her.

"Just do it!" Was her reply as she sprinted out the door, shaking her head. Could he be anymore childish? He was even worse then Roy.

She ran outside seeing the running form of Cheshire. She stopped, notched an arrow, and let it fly. Cheshire spun around, batting the arrow away with one of her Sais.

"I was hoping it would be you." Cheshire taunts, before spinning around and running again. Artemis followed after her, confused to why she said that. She would think about it more lately, preferably with Oliver, Diggle, Felicity, and Felicity's elite hacking skills.

Artemis let a knock out gas arrow fly. It hit the wall in front of Cheshire, releasing the gas. The villain coughed and fell to the ground. Artemis approached cautiously, notching an arrow and aiming it at her. When she got closer, Cheshire swung her legs out, knocking Artemis to the ground.

Artemis launched herself off of the ground, feet knocking right into Cheshire. She went to punch her, but the villain grabbed Artemis' arms and pinned them behind her back.

"Better luck next time." Cheshire taunts, pushing Artemis to the ground and knocking her out, before disappearing into the building.

When Artemis awoke a few moments later, she lay on the ground, dazed and feeling like a failure. Oliver was right all along; she didn't belong on this team. She wasn't cut out for the big leagues and belonged safely taking down muggers in Starling City.

"I never took your for the self-pitying type." Artemis looked to her side, seeing Jackson sitting on the low wall. "Really, I totally believed you to be the screw you, I'm awesome type."

"What does it matter Jacks? I'm a failure. Look at me, nobody wants me on this team and Cheshire got away. Right now she is most likely butchering the doctor. This mission was a failure." Artemis says. Jackson sighs, shaking his head.

"There you go, self-pitying again. Artemis, you didn't climb your way up from nothing to let one narrow-minded asshole keep you from your dream. You're only fifteen and you've already seen and done things most people will never get close to experiencing. You managed to escape your father, survive in a brand new environment, stand up to a bully on your first day of school, survive an attack by the Joker, and work alongside your team keeping Starling City safe. You've survived through worse then not being liked by your new teammates." Jackson reasons. "You will thrive in this environment. One failed mission doesn't make you a failure."

"I've failed two missions in my life, you and this." Artemis says softly. Jackson gives a sad smile.

"Don't think of it that way Artemis. Now go out there. This mission isn't as hopeless as it seems." With that, Jackson vanished and Artemis was alone again. She got up, her muscles tired and dragging. A sound to her left brought her back to the present as she spotted Cheshire walking on the sidewalk. She released four explosive arrows and then jumped down from the roof.

"Don't move a muscle." Artemis says in her most threatening voice. She had an arrow notched on the bent over form of Cheshire. The smoke began to fall away. Artemis noticed Cheshire's mask lying flat on the ground a few feet away from her. Cheshire stood up, her back to Artemis.

"Wow, I am completely at your mercy." Cheshire spun around, revealing the face of...Jade. Artemis' grip on her bow slackened in shock as she saw her long lost sister in front of her. Nothing could have prepared her for that.

"You." She said in a breathless voice, completely shocked, eyes wide open.

"I suppose now you'll bring me to justice and let your new friends interrogate me. I wonder if you're position is secure enough to survive the learning of everything I know." Jade taunts, looking Artemis dead in the eye. Every fear Artemis had came bubbling to the surface. Her team hated her and as much as she would like to think she didn't care, she did. Her position in the group would never be the same if they learned the truth. They already hate her enough as it is. Artemis dropped her bow.

"Didn't think so." Jade says, dropping back as a swirl of dark smoke appeared. "So like the Cheshire Cat, I'll just disappear." And just like that, her sister was gone. A few seconds later, the Sterling appeared, supporting Kaldur.

"Where's the assassin?" He asked in a weak voice. Artemis stared at the ground, ashamed with herself.

"She got away." Artemis replied, staring at the ground. Shame washed over her.

"Oh from you?" Wally asked, speeding up next to her. Artemis turned around and began to walk away. "Big surprise. Notice, we got ours." Wally was soon distracted by Cheshire's mask, much to Artemis' delight.

"Her mask? Did you see her face?" Kaldur asks, still weak. Artemis turned around for a moment.

"It was dark." She said, knowing it was a lame excuse Hopefully they believed her.

"It's fine." Kaldur says much to Artemis' relief. "Robin and Superboy neutralized the FOG. Dr. Rocquette is safe thanks to no small part by you." Artemis spun around, shocked by his words. "Welcome to the team."

For a moment, Artemis imagined Jackson standing behind Kaldur grinning smugly. A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. Maybe she hadn't messed up to bad today. Kaldur approached, shaking her hand much to her surprise.

"I've always wanted a sister, here on Earth I mean." M'gann says with a bright smile. "I have twelve back on Mars, but trust me, it's not the same."

"I wouldn't know." Artemis says a bit shakily, images of Jade still in her mind. She smiles softly again. "But thanks." M'gann not so slyly punched Wally in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Wally says. "Yeah, okay, welcome." Wally shakes Artemis' hands. Things might just be turning up.

^^^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^^^

Artemis stepped out of the zeta beam back into the Arrow team hangout. It was surprisingly empty. Felicity wasn't at the monitor, talking to Diggle, Oliver, or Roy out on a mission. There was one lone light on that Oliver must have left on for when she returned.

She heard a rustle behind her. She quickly spun around, notching an arrow where she heard the sound. Roy appeared and Artemis dropped her bow.

"Oh, it's only you." Artemis says. "Thanks for the help earlier." She says sarcastically.

"So I see Oliver finally let you join the team. Congrats." He says with an equal amount of sarcasm.

"Thanks. Kaldur said I did a good job tonight." She tells him.

"That's Aqualad to you kid." Roy replies.

"I'm not a kid." Artemis responds in an icy voice. "And stop calling me one asshole."

"So you're Oliver's niece now are you?" Roy says, changing the subject.

"I...I didn't want to have to explain who my parents are if they ever questioned or anything." Artemis says, staring at the ground, suddenly less sure of herself.

"Oh right, Sportsmaster. And let's not forget about the assassin sister Cheshire." Roy says, his tone becoming more threatening. "Listen Artemis, these kids, they're my friends. If you're secrets and family bring them any harm, I will not hesitate to stop you. I will never agree with Oliver's decision to bring you on. You've caused so much trouble for everyone, especially him. I know he can handle it and I know he adores you, which is why I've let it slide. But my friends, they are still young and inexperienced, if any harm comes to them, you've wasted your last chance with me and I will not hesitate to make sure you regret the day you ever agreed to come here."

Every word Roy said bit into Artemis' good mood, hitting at every insecurity she had. With a hard glare she replied, "Bite me Roy. I'm not afraid at you."

Her words sounded tougher then she felt.

**A/N: Wow, that was hard to write. I'm not sure what to think about it. I feel like I could have done better. I hope it wasn't to confusing.**

** So I'm starting school on Wednesday and I'm not sure how much I'll be able to update. Judging by how much summer work I had, it's not going to be pretty. I will update as much as I can, but don't be surprise if they are irregular. Hopefully I can try to do every two weeks or so. I can't guarantee a specific day. I'm thinking Wednesdays, but again, I can't guarantee anything. I am so sorry. You guys are so awesome and I made you wait a month for this update and I'm going to be really unreliable in the future.**

** Anyways, please review. I give you a free pass to tell me how angry you are with me as well if you want. I apologize again. **


	18. Chapter 15: The Truth Hurts

**A/N: Hey guys. Notice how this update didn't take me a month:) I wanted to post this really quickly as a thank you for everyone for sticking with me even when I took a month to post. You guys are awesome!**

** Anyways, A few people were a little bit confused about Roy's actions last chapter. I am really sorry about that. Basically, Roy has never liked Artemis. Usually he would just keep up a friendly bickering with her because Oliver or Diggle would be around and he didn't want to upset them. He's never totally trusted her and now that she's part of the team, he doesn't like that she's going to be fighting without any of the arrow team with her and is afraid that she's going to like suddenly show her "true colors" and hurt his friends. Yeah, sorry if its a bit confusing. I still wanted her and Roy to have a relationship of distrust like they did in the show. I have some awesome plans for their bonding:)**

** Also, just to tell you because I'm not sure if I made it clear, but Arrow season one and all of Young Justice is canon in this story. The last chapter is going to be the only one that follows an episode though.**

** One final note, I would like to thank Punisher164 for giving me an idea that I have used in this chapter. It's a surprise though what it is.**

** The time frame of this chapter is after episode nine (Bereft!) in Young Justice and is September.**

**ENJOY!**

**The New Archer in Town**

_Chapter 15: The Truth Hurts_

Artemis lay on the couch in the cave, reading a book. Her hair hung over the edge of the couch; so long it almost touched the ground. She flipped another page of her book. Wally smiled to himself. It had been a bit of a shock when he learned that she was his once pen pal.

_Wally and Robin were watching TV in the cave when they heard the announcement of Artemis' arrival. Wally groaned._

_ "She's not that bad you know." Robin says. "You just have to give her a chance." Wally was saved from responding when Artemis walked in. She was in a plain green tank top and shorts. Her mask wasn't present. Wally did a double take because without her costume on, she looked just like..._

_ "Artemis!" Megan shouts gleefully, coming out of the kitchen. She hugged the blonde girl much to her confusion. _

_ 'Welcome Crock." Dick says with a mischievous look towards Wally. Suddenly, it all clicked in his head._

_ "Don't call me that." Artemis tells Robin. _

_ "But Crock is your last name right?" Robin asks innocently._

_ "I'm a Queen." She simply states._

_ "You're Artemis Crock...we were buddies. Pen pals." Wally says dumbly. Artemis looks over at him, a crooked half smile on her face._

_ "Took you long enough Baywatch."_

He wasn't about to let that change anything; he still hated her for replacing Roy. Without another thought, Wally ran out from the hallway, grabbing the harpy's book and running away down another hallway.

"Wally!" Artemis' shout echoed down the hallway. He laughed to himself, basking in the glow of his victory. Little did he notice the large boy with black hair walking down the hallway. He ran into a solid chest, falling to the ground.

Dazed, he looked up to see Superboy looking at him with a confused expression on his face. He was still trying to comprehend what had just happened when he felt the book ripped from his grasp and an angry blonde harpy came into view. Metaphorical steam was coming out of her ears. For the first time, Wally caught a glimpse at the book she was reading, _Percy Jackson and The Lightening Thief._

"Idiot. Don't you dare take my stuff again!" Artemis yells. For a moment, flashes of what happened in Bialya flashed in his mind. He shook the thoughts out of his head and returned the glare.

"Well maybe if you weren't here, I wouldn't take your stuff." Wally retorts. Artemis reeled back, hurt crossing across her eyes. Without another word, she turns around stomping away.

"Wow, I thought the two of you were starting to get along." Superboy comments. Wally turns back, momentarily having forgotten that he was there. "That was really harsh."

"Yeah." Wally says, sighing. Conner started walking towards the kitchen and living room again. "Where are you going?"

"M'gann made a cake and she wanted me as a taste subject." Superboy says.

"Oh." Wally says. Superboy begins walking towards the kitchen. "He Supey, wait up." Wally jogs to catch up since Artemis had gone that way too. He figured he owed her an apology. She wasn't actually that bad.

M'gann pulled her cake out of the oven and spun around to see Superboy and Wally. She smiled.

"Hey guys." She says sweetly smiling.

"Hey Megs. You seen Artemis?" Wally asks.

"Oh, she just left." M'gann tells him. "She was not happy. Did you say something to her?"

"No." Superboy elbows him. "Ow! I might have said something." M'gann sighs, placing her cake on the counter.

"What? I'll just talk to her next time she's at the cave. It's no biggie." Wally says, grabbing a knife and cutting off a piece of cake. Behind his back, Superboy and M'gann exchange looks.

^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^

"Stupid Wally West with his stupid red hair and stupid name." Artemis grumbles as she walks out of the zeta tube into their arrow cave. Felicity, Oliver, Laurel, and Diggle look over at her with confusion.

"Wally do something again?" Diggle asks, looking mildly amused, a small smirk on his face.

"Yes! He is the most infuriating person on the planet!" Artemis states. The adults all exchange knowing looks. "What?"

"Nothing Artemis." Laurel says. Artemis sighs but drops it. She places her book on a nearby tabletop and walk over to where they were all crowded around a computer.

"What are we looking at?" Artemis questions.

"Security camera's of all jewelry stores in Starling City." Felicity tells her nonchalantly.

"Let me rephrase that, why are we looking at security camera's of jewelry stores? Did we get a tip or something of a robbery?" As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew it was wrong. Somebody would be on sight if they had gotten a tip.

"Oliver thinks Roy is buying an engagement ring for Thea. We are curious to see if its true or not." Laurel explains. Artemis looked over at Oliver, seeing the grumpy expression on his face. Well that explained that.

Fear clutched her heart at the mention of Roy. She hadn't told anyone about what he had said to her after that first mission. But now every time she saw him, it was like he was watching her every move, just waiting for her to slipup and give him another reason to dislike her. Oliver had tried talking to her about it a few times, but she always shut him down. She was going to earn Roy's trust and she didn't need anyone else's help to do it.

"As fascinating as this is, I'm going to go home." Artemis tells them.

"You need a ride?" Oliver asks, raising an eyebrow at her. He knew something was bothering her, Artemis could tell.

"No. I'm just going to walk." Artemis says. She was in her civvies so all she had to do was walk out the door and she would be fine. She picked her book up off of the table.

"Alright." Oliver says. "Talk later?"

"Sure." Artemis replies, turning around and walking up the stairs.

"Hey Artemis!" Diggle calls out right before she was about to open the door. "Lori called the house phone a few times while you were at the mountain. Told me to tell you to call her back when you get a chance."

Another pang hit her chest. This was just not her day. Ever since joining the team, she had been so busy that she hadn't seen Lori or Harry except for at school. They had started dating over the summer, which just made things awkward as well since she was now the third wheel.

"I'll call her." Artemis assures him, opening the door and walking out of the arrow cave.

It was a warm September day in Starling City. Wearing just jeans and a white tank top, Artemis was very comfortable walking down the busy streets of Starling City.

"You know you belong on the team Artemis." Jackson says, appearing in Artemis' mind. "You are probably one of the most insecure people in the world. I never would have thought that though."

"I am so sick of Wally's constant comments and Roy's glares. If I really belonged, why would they have such trouble trusting me?" Artemis considers.

"Because they are narrow-minded."

"You can say that again. Imagine if Wally ever learned about my family?"

"Funny how he is the first person you think of." Jackson says with a mischievous smile. Artemis rolls her eyes.

"Artemis!" Yanked out of her thoughts, Artemis comes back to the real world. She looks up to see Lori jogging up to her. "Hey, I've been calling after you for like five minutes. People were beginning to give me weird looks."

Lori and Artemis quickly fell into step, continuing down the street.

"Sorry, I was just lost in thought." Artemis says. Lori's eyes drop down to the book in Artemis' hand but she says nothing.

"So where have you been? I've been calling your cell phone all day. I even called your home phone." Lori says.

"I've been busy with...shopping." Artemis says the first thing that comes to her mind, remembering the engagement ring rumors. She cursed herself; Lori was so going to be suspicious.

"Shopping?" Lori asks.

"Yeah...with Thea." Artemis replies sheepishly.

"Really cause I just saw her when I was shopping for a dress to wear for my date tonight. The one I was calling to tell you about." Lori says, her eyes narrowing.

"Oh yeah...I was supposed to meet her there." Artemis offers, knowing that Lori didn't believe a single word she said.

"Cut the crap, where the hell have you been the past month?" Lori asks. "You missed the first two days of school and then you show up without an explanation. And now you mysterious disappear all morning. I needed you there this morning."

"You didn't need me. You know I have zero..." Lori cuts her off.

"That's not the point Artemis! You're supposed to be my best friend and you weren't there. I wanted to go shopping for a dress with my best friend and catch up since I haven't seen her in forever."

"I'm sorry Lori." Artemis tells her.

"Don't be sorry, just tell me what the hell is going on?"

"What do you mean?" Artemis asks.

"All the mysterious disappearances and then when you are here, you aren't actually here. Your mind is constantly a million miles away and I have no clue what to do to get my best friend back. Can you please just talk to me like a normal person?"

"There is nothing going on Lori."

"Bullshit!" Lori yells. A few people hurry pass them, looking at them curiously as they went.

"Lori, I don't know what to tell you. This is all in your head." Artemis tells her, feeling like shit for having to lie to her best friend.

"Then tell me where you really were this morning?" Lori asks. Artemis stares at the ground. She couldn't tell her that she had an early morning training session with Laurel and had then stayed after at the cave, learning some new hacking techniques from Robin. After he left, M'gann asked her if she would stick around to taste her new cake recipe. So she hung out at the cafe some more, reading one of Jackson's books. Wally the narrow-minded jerk West had interrupted that.

She couldn't say any of that though so she remained silent. Hurt filled Lori's eyes. "That's what I thought." She said, spinning around and walking away. Angered, Artemis was a few inches away from punching a wall. Instead, she simply spun around and continued to walk home.

^^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^

Artemis entered the Queen mansion thoroughly pissed off. She wanted nothing more than to disappear up into her room and scream out her frustrations into her pillow. Of course as soon as the door was closed, Thea had materialized in the front hall.

"Hey Artemis. Have you seen Roy?" Thea asks. It took every last restraint she had not to groan. The thought of Roy just soured her mood even more.

"No. Call his cell phone." Artemis suggest, moving towards the stairs.

"I already called him. Five times. I texted him as well." Thea says. "He was supposed to pick me up for our date an hour ago."

"Why would I know where he is?" Artemis asks, beginning to go up the stairs.

"Because you, him, and Oliver are always disappearing." Thea says. Artemis stops, and turns around to face her. "Artemis, I'm not an idiot. I've always figured you would tell me when you're ready but this is enough."

"I assure you, the three of us aren't transpiring about anything at all." Artemis tells her. Thea sighs heavily, taking a seat at the bottom of the stairs. Artemis took a seat besides her.

"I think Roy is cheating on me." Thea confesses, sadness weighing down her voice and causing her features to sag.

"Why would you think that? Roy loves you." Artemis says. And as much as she hates the guy, she knows he's not a bad guy. He obviously adores Thea and is trying to keep his friends safe. She just wished he trusted her like he trusted them.

"Because he is always disappearing. Everyone around here is. If he isn't with you and Oliver, where else would he be constantly disappearing too?" Thea questions dejectedly.

"Thea, Roy loves you. I've never been in a relationship and even I can tell that Roy loves you." Artemis assures her. Tears come to Thea's eyes. She quickly wipes them away.

"I'm just so sick and tired of the secrets and lying. For once, I just wish someone would tell me the truth." With that, Thea stood up and walked up the stars. A few moments later, Artemis heard the closing of a bedroom door.

And suddenly, just like whenever she was alone, Jackson appeared, sitting on the step besides her. Artemis sighed heavily, leaning back against the steps.

"She totally knows something is up." Jackson says.

"You think? God, I am so sick of all of these lies and secrets. It's like my life is built on them. I can't tell Lori, or Thea, or Harry about my second life and I can't tell the team about my family. " Artemis says.

"Sometimes the truth hurts." Jackson says. "That's what lies and secrets are for, not because we want it that way, but because it must be that way."

"You kept all your pain and sadness a secret." Artemis points out.

"I did because I didn't want anyone changing what must be done." Jackson says. Artemis sighs, pulling her knees up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs, putting her chin on her knees.

"I want to tell someone something, anything. I just need to get it all out, you know?" Artemis says. Jackson nods.

"But if you tell any of them, their lives would be in constant danger."

"I don't want that for them." Artemis finishes the thought.

"You know there is one person you can talk about it all with." Jackson says.

"Who?" Artemis questions. Jackson just smiles and then disappears. Artemis' head jerks up when she hears the large doors opening. Oliver came through the door. His face shifted from smiling to concerned in a second when he saw Artemis sitting there on the stairs.

"Is everything all right?" Oliver asks. For a second, Artemis considered lying and saying everything was fine. Artemis found herself shaking her head. "You want to talk about it?" Artemis nods.

Oliver walks over to the steps, taking the seat besides her. He wraps an arm around her shoulder and pulls her close. "Start talking."

She did.

^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^

"Artemis?" She looked up from her book to see Wally standing in front of her. She groaned. Thinking that the gym would be a good place to get away from everyone and get a chance to read had not been very smart apparently.

"What do you want?" She asks, keeping her voice cool and icy. Wally flinched a bit.

"Look, I just wanted to say I apologize for what I said the other day." Wally says. "It was out of line."

"Whatever. What's done is done. It's fine." Artemis says, brushing him off.

"No its not. They are all right, I was being a jerk and I apologize."

"So if they hadn't been saying anything, you wouldn't think you were being a jerk?" Artemis questions.

"Geez, I'm trying to apologize her. Do you always have to make everything so difficult?" Wally asks angrily.

"It's part of my charm." Artemis says, looking back down at her book.

"I seriously feel bad for Lori and Jackson, how do they put up with you as a friend?" Wally asks. Artemis slams her book down on the ground, looking at Wally. Her breathing had increased and a murderous look was in her eyes.

"You know nothing." Artemis says, her voice deadly calm.

"I guess I can see you and Lori getting along, but Jackson, he was a nice guy. I don't see how he could stand a harpy like you." Wally states. Suddenly a fist was connecting with his jaw. He fell to the ground dazed. Artemis was crouching down, her hand on Wally's chest, holding him on the ground.

"Take it back." Artemis seethed.

"No." Wally replies, having fun pushing her buttons. "I bet he stopped hanging out with you. He left your little posse, Lori too I bet. That's why you are so angry."

"I hate you."

"The feeling is mutual Blondie." Wally replies. Artemis stood up, glaring down at Wally. She went to grab her book. She fell to the ground when Wally's legs swung out, kicking hers out from under her. Her elbow banged on the ground but she hardly noticed as she switched into fight mode.

The book was forgotten as it fell out of her hands. Artemis jumped up back onto her feet, spinning to face Wally. His shoulder's were squared, arms up ready to fight. They circled each other.

Artemis struck first, feinting left and then her right hook connected with his gut. When she went to punch him again, Wally sped away to the other side of the gym.

"Come back and fight me like a man." Artemis shouted after him. Suddenly Wally appeared again, running full speed into Artemis. She slammed into the wall.

"With pleasure." Wally says. Artemis hopped back up onto her feet and placed a hard kick to his stomach. She countered with a quick volley of punches, causing Wally to trip over his own feet and fall to the ground. She went to kick him again, but he was gone.

She spotted the tan blur running around the gym. She timed it so that when he came at her, she stepped out of the way and he ran full speed into the wall.

"Looks like you really got a hold of that speed. Reminds me of when you tripped over a pebble in Bialya." Artemis taunts. Wally jumped back to his feet. Artemis squared her shoulders. Their fight turned quickly into a fistfight. Each of them taking and blocking a pretty equal amount of punches.

Artemis took a particularly hard punch in the stomach and countered with one to his jaw. They both stumbled, taking a few steps back away from each other, the two of them sizing the other up. Both of them looked at each other with disdain and dislike, but not hatred for as much as they tried, neither could seem to be able to truly hate the other.

"Let's finish this." Wally says.

"With pleasure." Artemis replies. Wally took off running, fast just like a speedster. Artemis jumped out of the way, dodging him each time. Feeling triumphant, she even smiled a bit. That was until it happened.

She saw it happen in slow motion even though it happened in only a matter of seconds. Wally took a sharp turn, coming at her. What he didn't seem was the book that Artemis had forgotten about lying in his path. The warn paper back was suddenly at risk.

"Wally stop!" Artemis shouted, but it was to late. Wally's fast moving feet, landing on the book. He and the book skidded across the ground. The sound of pages ripping and tearing filled the gym. Wally was soon flung off into the wall. Artemis rushed to pick up the book, but it was completely ruined. Pages were hanging out of it haphazardly. Others had been ripped out completely. The little doodles and notes Jackson had written in his favorite book were all ruined, running together into a bunch of smudges.

"No, no, no, no." Artemis mumbled, picking up the broken pieces. Her bottom lip quivered as she stared at the pieces in her hand. "Jackson."

"It's just a book. I'll buy you another one if you want." Wally says. Artemis spun around to look at him. He took a step back when he saw the tears gathering in them. She wiped them away furiously, standing up. "Artemis, I'm sorry."

"You know nothing you idiot." Artemis says, taking a menacing step towards him. He took a step backwards, his feet landing on a page. He bent down and picked it up. His eyes scanned the title page of the book, his notes landing on the bottom.

_This book belongs to Jackson. Percy Jackson himself will hunt anyone who takes it down._

"This book is Jackson's." Wally says dumbly.

"Was." Artemis says softly.

"What?"  
"It was his book you idiot. Past tense!" Artemis yells, going to attack Wally again. He just stood there, holding the page dumbly in his hand. Before Artemis could get him, strong arms wrapped around her, lifting her up off of the ground.

"Artemis what is going on?" Robin asks, appearing besides Superboy. Artemis struggled in Superboy's grasp as Kaldur and M'gann appeared.

"What is going on here?" Kaldur demands.

"Artemis and I got into a little fight and I destroyed her book, well her friend's book." Wally says. "What are you guys doing here?"  
"We have a training session in a few minutes." Dick reminds him.

"Oh yeah." Wally responds. M'gann began picking up the pieces of the book with the help of Kaldur. Artemis had stopped thrashing, staring dully at the broken pieces and ripped pages. It was taking all of her control not to start crying again.

For a moment, she thought she saw Jackson there in the gym. But he wasn't there and couldn't be. He was dead and she needed to stop fooling herself into thinking he wasn't. _The truth hurts. _

"I am sure he is fine." Laurel's voice echoes through the halls.

"He hasn't been seen in a few days. Something is obviously wrong." Oliver's voice says.

"He's twenty-one, he can do what he wants." Laurel responds. The two appeared in the gym. "Hey guys, we have a special gues..." Her voice trails off when she sees the scene in front of her. Oliver and Laurel stare at the six of them open mouthed.

"What the hell happened here?" Oliver asks. His eyes landing on Artemis, his features soften. "Artemis, is everything okay?" He asks gently.

Superboy finally lets go of Artemis. She walks over to M'gann first, taking the pieces of the book from her. She then turns to Oliver.

"I'm fine." She says because sometimes it's better to lie when the truth was too painful to say. "I am A-okay." She forces a smile on her face, much to the confusion of her team, especially Wally. Oliver's eyes land on the destroyed book.

"Is that..." Artemis nods. "I'm sure we can find someone to fix it later." Artemis doesn't say anything, just nods. She carefully places all the parts of the book out of harms way.

"Okay, time to start training." Laurel says. "So today..."

Their eyes all turn away from Laurel when they heard heavy footsteps coming down the hallway. A few moments later, Roy appeared, beaten and bruised. There was a loud shocked gasp as everyone took him in. His hair was matted down, he had a cut over his right eye and dried blood on his cheek. He had various bruises and cuts across his body as well.

Wally reacted first, speeding over to his older friend, offering his shoulder to lean on which Roy gratefully accepted. Oliver and everyone else walked over to him as well.

"Roy, what happened?" Oliver asks concerned.

"I don't know. I was attacked from behind and then...then I woke up in this cell of sorts. I never saw anyone else but food always seemed to materialize any time I woke up. I was able to escape and I came here." Roy says, pausing after almost every word in great pain.

"Come on." Kaldur says, putting an arm under his other shoulder. "Let's take you to the med bay." The team filters out with him, leaving Oliver, Laurel, and Artemis behind.

"I knew something was wrong." Oliver says, guilt flitting through his eyes. He looked at the shocked faces of Laurel and Artemis before running out of the gym to follow the team.

_ The truth hurts. _

**A/N: So there you go! Chapter fifteen! What happened to Roy? I'm sure a bunch of you can guess. Next time will shoot ahead a few months to November. Anyone remember what happens then?**

** So just as a little closing note, I have a few questions for you guys. What is your favorite chapter of this story and why? And what is your least and why? Just wondering because I want to improve my writing and everything and I know what I did well and what I did badly in this story, I can get an idea. So please review and tell me your thoughts.**

** Until next time!**


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